John Mulaney “really identified” with Matthew Perry’s addiction story
American comedian John Mulaney has shared that he “identified” with Matthew Perry’s story of addiction.
Speaking with Variety following the Friends actor’s sudden death last month, Mulaney opened up about his connection to Perry’s experience. The actor, who died at his home aged 54, had a history of addiction, which he detailed in his memoir, Friends, Lovers And The Big Terrible Thing.
The book, which also covered Perry’s road to recovery, reportedly impacted Mulaney, who has himself struggled with addiction, leading him to attend rehab following a drug relapse in 2020.
“Addiction is just a disaster,” said Mulaney. “Life is like a wobbly table at a restaurant and you pile all this shit on it, and it gets wobblier and wobblier and more unstable.”
He continued: “Then drugs just kick the fucking legs out from under the table.”
Many members of the entertainment industry have opened up in recent weeks showing their support and grief for Perry, and detailing the various connections he held and the impact he had.
For Mulaney, even though he never knew Perry personally, the impact was clear. He said: “I really identified with his story. I’m thinking about him a lot.”
Mulaney, who has been sober for three years, released his third Netflix special, Baby J, back in April, which explored his experience of a drug relapse and a subsequent intervention, eventually leading to rehab.
The comedian said, “I’ve had bits my entire career where I think, ‘Oh, this is a little dark. I don’t know if people are going to go with this.’”
He continued: “I’m aware of how this is going to play with the great big group that I’m very lucky to have assembled. I just knew that this vein would be interesting to people.”
In other recent news, actor Sean Penn has praised Matthew Perry’s “bold” and “generous” addiction campaign.
The post John Mulaney “really identified” with Matthew Perry’s addiction story appeared first on NME.
Alex Berry
NME
