Former Friends star Matthew Perry apparently has a lot to say in his upcoming memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. Ahead of the book’s November 1 release, fans have already gleaned some knowledge about how bad his addiction got on the set of the ‘90s sitcom, and that Jennifer Aniston once confronted him about his drinking. Despite the fact that stories will be regaled about events that happened during this extremely important decade of the six actors’ lives, Perry said he doesn’t think that his co-stars will read his memoir.
Well, none of them other than Lisa Kudrow, that is. The actress who played Phoebe Buffay read an advance copy of Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, so that she could write the book’s introduction. As for Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox and David Schwimmer, however, they aren’t likely to do the same, Matthew Perry told GQ:
Why would they read it? I don’t know. Because, you know, who cares? Addicts are going to care about this, and fans of Friends are going to care about this. But the cast is not going to really care about this.
Matthew Perry has said he thinks his memoir will help other people who are struggling with addiction. Longtime fans of the show, meanwhile, will be interested to learn more about the man who played the hilarious Chandler Bing — as well as get some good behind-the-scenes stories about Friends, including the wild way he convinced Julia Roberts to make a guest appearance on the sitcom. But Perry said his former colleagues don’t really have a reason to read it.
The argument could be made that they were there alongside Matthew Perry for those 10 years, and therefore already know the stories he’s going to tell. However, Lisa Kudrow and Jennifer Aniston expressed disbelief during their 2021 reunion special, when the actor opened up about how much anxiety he had over being able to make the audience laugh. It's probably safe to assume there will be things in the book that he never revealed to his co-stars.
You’d think the other four actors would at least be curious to see what Matthew Perry wrote about them, as he had promised not to sugarcoat anything, including his feelings about his castmates. The actor has already had to issue an apology for apparently dragging Keanu Reeves in the memoir, so it definitely looks like Perry isn’t pulling any punches.
Whether or not the rest of the Friends cast reads the book, fans are likely to experience a whole range of emotions, as Matthew Perry describes a time that being on the show possibly saved his life during a medical emergency but also reportedly describes having a crush on Jennifer Aniston.
Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing will be available on Tuesday, November 1, and in the meantime, you can stream all 10 seasons of the iconic sitcom, including Friends: The Reunion, with an HBO Max subscription.
