The Season 1 and 2 DVDs of Friends were among the first I ever owned. I’ve only sporadically kept up with what the cast has been up to since; this is almost entirely thanks to Celebitchy posts. Matthew Perry perhaps intentionally invoked his most famous character on Twitter Friday, responding to pictures of him published by the Daily Mail along with unflattering commentary with Chandler’s characteristic sarcasm. You can see the photos here.
The Daily Mail, which published a candid photo of him walking the streets of NYC, claimed his appearance “sparked concern” and that he looked “disheveled.” The publication provided a series of photos, including a detailed close-up of his overgrown, dirty fingernails.
Perry, 49, who underwent major gastrointestinal surgery last summer and has a long history of health scares and drug abuse, hasn’t been photographed for some time. So the recent images, showing the former Friends star unshaven, with bags under his eyes, dressed in dark sweatpants and a stained black T-shirt, set off alarms.
As the photos started going public, Perry took to Twitter to reply as only his alter ego, Chandler Bing, would: “I’m getting a manicure this morning. That’s okay, right? I mean [sic] it says man right in the word.”
Hecate covered Matthew’s announcement following his hospitalization to repair a perforation in his GI tract last summer. Maybe Matthew is still recovering from the surgery’s after-effects. The photos were taken in New York, and for all anybody knows, he threw on the nearest pair of pants and shirt he could find so he could go run errands, not really caring about whether anyone saw him. I know I’ve sometimes looked “disheveled” while out running errands, when all I wanted to do was get out, run the errands, and get home. That doesn’t account for his fingernails, though, no. Maybe he happened to be gardening just before running out, and doesn’t regularly clip his nails? I have no idea. Yes, they are gross, but we wouldn’t have necessarily noticed if the DM hadn’t published the enhanced photo of his hand. (In 2015, Matthew said that he didn’t change his bedsheets for 3 months, so maybe this is all part of that pattern.)
Last February, Matthew sparked a wave of concern when he tweeted, “I got kicked out of therapy.” The next day, he clarified, “Easy guys, it was just one session. I’m back in therapy where I belong:)” I appreciate that he’s open (even to a tiny extent) with the fact that he was/is(?) attending therapy, which, of course, is nobody’s business. I always try to never jump to conclusions about people’s private health issues, not because I’m gullible, but because if a person wants to talk about them and connect the dots (if they can be connected), that’s one thing. While Us points out that Matthew “has always been open about his past,” he hasn’t, as yet, said anything more about the photos, linking them to a health issue. There’s a ton of stigma around addiction, so I don’t like adding to the noise when anything I have to say would be only an assumption based on something I’ve seen or read. I sincerely hope that Matthew is well and that if he needs medical or other kinds of help, he’s getting it.
I’m getting a manicure this morning. That’s okay right? I mean it says man right in the word.
— matthew perry (@MatthewPerry) June 21, 2019
Photos are from 2017. Credit: WENN and Backgrid
So sad for him to be in this state. Whether it’s mental health or physical health or both, he’s not doing so well I think.
He was such a beautiful looking young man, so talented and funny and warm. I don’t know him but something about him, in the last ten years or so, comes off as utterly self destructive, like he’s determined to take it as far as he can with mistreating himself. Heartbreaking to see. I hope to see him looking healthy and happy one day.
He hasnt been ok for a very long time, dating back to the Friends days when he was in and out of rehab for cocaine. He was lucky he was with such a tight crew who really protected each other because on any other show, we’d be reading “whatever happened to” pieces for him. He’s such a talent, i really root for him but it’s a long shot tbh.
Yeah, I think his youth and good looks covered his drug habits back inthe 90s but now the years of hard living are showing more in his appearance. He’s admitted to pretty serious cocaine use during Friends.
I saw the pics and he defo looks like an addict who has relapsed. That outfit was dirty and stained like he’s been wearing/sleeping in it for a week and his nails were next level hideous.
Or that black hole called depression. It’s sad and I wish him well whatever his problems.
Yeah, major depression will make you totally unable to care f for yourself. I once went 3 weeks without bathing. And maybe brushed my teeth every 3 days. It was awful and I felt so gross but I could not find the energy to take care of myself.
I hope Matthew is feeling better soon. And eff the DM.
I hope he gets the help he needs. Those are not pictures of a healthy person. I wonder if he has a support system?
I love love love this man. I have loved everything I’ve seen him in, and think he’s just a gem. I always feel bad for the struggles that he is going though, but I really appreciate how open he is about it. Removing stigma from mental health issues is so important.
I always thought that he was the strongest actor on Friends & played the best character.
#1- Chandler
#2- Phoebe
#3- Joey
#4 Ross.
No Wuss. Wuss was #6.
Ugh – Monica and Ross tie for the two worst characters on that show.
I was in love with Chandler when I rewatched as an adult, but even much preffered him to everyone else when I was watching as a kid.
I really liked Mr. Sunshine too – he was solid on that, and it was an underappreciated show.
I absolutely love him, too. He’s a wonderful actor. Wish him the best.
I love Chandler the most on the original run, and a lot of that was Matthew’s own sense of humor.
And I’ve really enjoyed all the shows that Matthew had afterwards, it’s a shame none of them took off because they were all pretty good. The one with the group therapy was my favorite, it was turning into something really funny and lovely when it got the ax.
The Daily Mail’s remark about a “large mark on his right cheek” was hilarious to me. I get those too when I sleep cheek smushed down on wrinkled pillowcase. It happens. It takes an hour to completely go away sometimes. I wouldn’t call it concerning. His nails were unkempt but so are a lot of guys just out there walking around. His stained and dishevelled look? I had an identical look running errands yesterday; I did a large batch of cooking and ran out to the store in my stained clothes. Overall, I think he looks ok. Bags under his eyes? He always had bags! So do I! Luckily i’m not a famous person. His hair looks recently trimmed and styled, so overall, I don’t get why this is a story of “concern” about him.
It’s “concern” because he’s consistently looked like a bloated, drugged out mess for at least a decade. He hasn’t looked fit, healthy, clear-eyed, clean, rested, and happy in a very, very long time.
The DM’s motivation for publishing it certainly aren’t pure, but it doesn’t mean he’s not exhibiting concerning behavior.
He looked good on The Good Wife a few years back.
Aside from his fingernails I didn’t think he looked bad in those pictures. He’s aging like everyone else and he’s had addiction problems.
I agree, I expected worse when I clicked the link.
He’s had a rough couple of years with his health, and that can do a number on a person’s appearance. Plus people are comparing him to the mental image of Chandler in their heads, and that’s not fair to anyone as it was decades ago.
I wish him well, and hope people leave him alone.
His fingers look like they are nicotine stained. Be well Matthew!
I’ve gone days without showering while in the deepest parts of my depression. I’ve also gone to the pharmacy looking like a hot mess (think greasy hair, wrinkled lounge pants, no bra) during a migraine. We never know what someone is going through. I hope he can be well.
Ugh. he really looks terrible 🙁
I love him and hope he is getting help…
those dirty stained clothes and his dirty hands suggest to me he isn’t caring about himself or his cleanliness. At the end of the day he isn’t “just like us” he’s a FRIEND with a boat load of money and HES AN ACTOR so he KNOWS appearances “matter” or at least that appearances help create the image of the character. So for him to not care AT ALL suggests to me that he is depressed 🙁
i hope i am wrong. be well MP
Thank you for not posting those photos here.
This makes me sad because I adore his acting, always have, & it’s heartbreaking to think about him going off the deep end.
Like some of the comments above have stated, I have also gone out while disheveled if I was ill, recovering from surgery, or the like.
Knowing his history it’s easy to go to the worst-case scenario. It becomes sort of knee jerk to expect the worst when people have struggled like he has. But I agree with the others that outward appearance — including the fact that he’s aged a lot since Friends — can be deceiving. I also hope that he’s staying well.
Can’t wait until there’s some brain laser beam treatment that zaps away addiction and depression and everything like that. I can’t imagine how hard it is to live with addiction. Hope he gets better.
From your lips @Harry G
His clothes are stained and wrinkled but he looks like many single guys who just pulled something on and headed out the door without concern for what they were wearing or their appearance.
If not for people knowing about his past struggles, he could just as easily be described as a sloppy man who happened to he photographed out and about in public.
I’ve actually hung out with him. He was an acquaintance (not close friends or anything) of an ex of mine. He’s super sweet. He could tell that I was feeling kind of shy and out of place, and he made an effort to talk to me and make me feel comfortable. I’ll always have a soft spot for him. What a great guy! I hope he’s ok.
Oh that’s a great story!
Agreed, wonderful to hear he’s as sweet as I imagined! Thanks for sharing.
I was going thru his twitter feed and in Nov 18 he tweeted “I never understood why Dorthy left the poppy field” just thought that was an odd thing for someone to say.
When I go to the dentist and have nitrous oxide, the tubes make a mark like that on my face. And honestly, I don’t care a whit about how I look when I am going to/coming from the dentist. I want to be comfortable while I am in the chair. (I have horrible teeth, so I’ve done this a LOT) There have been many times when I had to fill a prescription after a root canal or oral surgery looking like I came out second best in a fight.
It’s the weird lengths of his nails that I wonder about more than the dirt. It’s easy to get dirt under your nails and if you are rushed, you might not get them cleaned right away. The lengths make the nails seem like they’ve been neglected.
I hope he’s OK.
Only wish this man well. Hope he finds contentment and peace.