How Matthew Perry's Addiction Struggles Affected His Appearance

The following article includes references to drug and alcohol addiction.

Throughout his life, Matthew Perry struggled with addiction, and it got so bad that it affected the way he looked throughout the years. The "Friends" actor's lifelong battle with addiction began when he was just a teen. According to Variety, he started drinking at 14, and by age 18, he was consistently drinking — but he didn't stop at alcohol.

In the late 90s, Perry began taking pills after he was in a jet ski accident, according to People. After the incident, the actor was prescribed Vicodin for the pain, but Perry began taking the prescription for more than just physical pain. "It wasn't my intention to have a problem with it. But from the start I liked how it made me feel, and I wanted to get more," he shared. At one point in his career, the "17 Again" actor was taking 55 Vicodin pills per day, per NBC.

Perry's struggle with addiction would last more than a decade, and it greatly affected the way he looked. In 2002, he even admitted to People that addiction took a huge physical toll on him. "I was out of control and very unhealthy," he said, joking, "I returned to my original birth weight." Although he might have been joking, it was true; Perry's addiction caused his physical appearance to change throughout the years — and it might surprise some fans to learn just how dramatic that change really was.

"Friends" is a comfort show to many, and it just seems to get better over time. But while fans may enjoy tuning into the show, Matthew Perry refused to watch it. In 2022, he told "Q with Tom Power" the reason he didn't like watching the show was because he could tell what pills or alcohol he was taking just by watching any given scene. He explained, "I didn't watch the show and haven't watched the show because I could go drinking... opiates... drinking... cocaine. Like I could tell season by season by how I looked."

To Perry, watching the show only brought a wave of bad memories about his addiction, per People. He further explained this in his memoir, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing." He shared, "You can track the trajectory of my addiction if you gauge my weight from season to season — when I'm carrying weight, it's alcohol; when I'm skinny, it's pills. When I have a goatee, it's lots of pills." Throughout his time on the show, Perry's weight fluctuated because of his addiction. He even recalled a moment during the show when he wore the same clothes for the end of season 6 and the beginning of season 7, but by the time season 7 rolled around, the clothes were drowning him. He revealed, "My weight varied between 128 pounds and 225 pounds during the years of 'Friends.'"

Matthew Perry's weight was just the beginning of how his physical appearance changed throughout the years. In his memoir, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing," the actor revealed the shocking moment he lost all his top teeth, per The New York Times. The "Friends" actor noted he was having peanut butter toast for breakfast when things took a turn. When he bit into the toast, all his top teeth fell out. He wrote in his book, "Yes, all of them." Perry then put his teeth in a baggie before making a beeline to the dentist hoping that they could fix his problem. Perry admitted to GQ that the doctors had to replace all his teeth after they fell out.

It wasn't just his teeth that served as a constant reminder of his struggles with addiction, but also the countless scars he had from surgeries. In 2018, Perry's colon burst due to his addiction, and he had to be rushed to the hospital for surgery, per GQ. During this time, the "Friends" actor had to undergo several surgeries that left him with scars all along his stomach. In 2022, Perry shared, "I'm just getting used to how my body looks. I look at them [the scars] with gratitude, because it helped me stay alive. But I have to live my life 24/7 with all of this scar tissue I'm constantly aware of."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).