Matthew Perry remembers one Friends costar who tried to help him with his drinking problem – Jennifer Aniston.
Speaking to ABC News journalist Diane Sawyer in a trailer advancing his Oct. 28 sit-down, Perry recalls the time Aniston — whom he calls “Jenny”— confronted him on his problem. She said, Sawyer reminded Perry, “We know you’re drinking.”
Perry confirmed the incident.
“Imagine how scary a moment that was,” he said. “She was the one who reached out the most, you know. I’m really grateful to her for that.”
Perry has been forthcoming on his struggles with addiction. The actor tells all in a new book, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir, which comes out Nov. 1.
Perry told People earlier that he was in the early stages of alcoholism when Friends began. That problem grew worse in the ensuing years, to the point where four years ago, his colon burst from using opioids. Perry was in a coma for two weeks, hospitalized for five, and wore a colostomy bag for nine months.
The clip reveals Perry telling Sawyer that he also was once taking “55 Vicodin a day,” as well as Methadone, Xanax and a full quart of vodka.
“At the time, I should have been the toast of the town,” Perry said. Instead, “I was in a dark room meeting nothing but drug dealers, and completely alone.”
Perry claims he’s sober now during the interview, but won’t reveal a time line on that transformation.