Jennifer Aniston Reveals the Surprising Reason She Believes Matthew Perry’s Passing Was a Relief

Why is it that the people who make us laugh the hardest seem to be fighting the biggest battles behind the scenes? I’ll be honest, every time I see Jennifer Aniston talk about Matthew Perry, it stops me in my tracks . Maybe it’s because we all saw them as the ultimate TV pals—like, could a group BE any closer?—but this time, we’re peeking behind the curtain and it stings . Aniston, the heart and soul of Friends’ Rachel Green, has laid bare her thoughts, pain, and maybe even a strange kind of relief about Perry’s passing . It’s impossible not to feel the emotional weight—these weren’t just sitcom co-stars, they were chosen family, navigating Hollywood, sobriety, and the relentless churn of fame together . And the hardest questions don’t always have easy answers: When someone you love has spent years wrestling demons, is there a space—any space at all—for relief in grief? Grab a coffee, settle in, because what Jennifer shares next is both gutting and deeply human—and you won’t find this kind of honesty scrolling TikTok . LEARN MORE

Jennifer Aniston has opened up about Matthew Perry’s death and why it was possibly ‘better’ for him to be ‘out of that pain’.

The Friends actor, 56, has spoken out many times about her co-star’s death, with it clearly being an incredibly emotional subject for her to touch upon.

Perry, aged just 54, sadly died from ‘acute effects of ketamine’ after he was found ‘unconscious in a stand-alone Jacuzzi’ at his Los Angeles home on 28 October, 2023.

It was a sad day for millions of fans, especially for those who worked alongside the Chandler Bing actor.

Throughout the sitcom’s 10 seasons, his fluctuation in weight was just one sign of Perry’s struggle with drug and alcohol addiction.

At the time of his death, Perry used ketamine as treatment for depression and anxiety.

Jennifer Aniston said the Friends cast was mourning Matthew Perry ‘for a long time’ before he died (Ron Davis/Getty Images)

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Aniston – who played Rachel Green in the series – spoke of Perry and admitted that the cast ‘did everything we could when we could’ to help him through his addiction.

“We did everything we could when we could. But it almost felt like we’d been mourning Matthew for a long time because his battle with that disease was a really hard one for him to fight,” she admitted to the outlet.

“As hard as it was for all of us and for the fans, there’s a part of me that thinks this is better. I’m glad he’s out of that pain.”

Aniston previously gave an emotional response when she was asked about Friends during Variety’s Actors on Actors series.

Abbott Elementary star Quinta Brunson mentioned the show to her, and Aniston replied with a shaky voice: “Oh God, Don’t make me cry. You’re already crying.”

Aniston admitted that we ‘did everything we could’ to help Perry (Chad Salvador/Variety via Getty Images)

“I’m sorry, I just started thinking about –,” Aniston then added, as she appeared to reference her on-screen friendship with Perry.

Fans of the show were left heartbroken by Aniston’s tribute to her co-star when he died.

Taking to Instagram, she wrote: “He was such a part of our DNA. We were always the six of us. This was a chosen family that forever changed the course of who we were and what our path was going to be. He made all of us laugh. And laugh hard…”

“Matty, I love you so much and I know you are now completely at peace and out of any pain. I talk to you every day… sometimes I can almost hear you saying ‘could you BE any crazier?’

“Rest little brother. You always made my day.”

Aniston worked with Perry for over a decade on Friends (NBCU Photo Bank

Following his death, police said there had been a ‘broad underground criminal network responsible for distributing large quantities of ketamine to Mr Perry and others’.

Dr. Mark Chavez pleaded guilty to illegally distributing ketamine to the actor, while Jasveen Sangha – known as the Ketamine Queen – is one of the five people charged with selling Perry the dose of the drug that killed him.

She is set to go on trial next month.

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