The three-part documentary series “The One About Matthew Perry,” which premiered on Tuesday, explores the life, career, struggles with addiction, and death of the late “Friends” star. In the series, Perry’s sister, Mia Perry Bowick, speaks publicly for the first time about her brother’s lifelong battle with substance abuse. According to Bowick, Perry invested significant resources into his recovery, stating, “He spent 7 million dollars trying to get sober—that’s how seriously he took his disease.” Bowick notes that the family became aware of the severity of his struggle during the fifth, sixth, and seventh seasons of “Friends,” observing that he attempted to manage his symptoms while maintaining his professional commitments. She recalls that she first learned of his initial stint in rehabilitation through a tabloid headline in 1997. By the time his character, Chandler Bing, married Monica Geller in 2001, Bowick says Perry was frequently commuting between rehabilitation facilities and the television set, leaving the family in a constant state of fear for his well-being. The documentary also addresses a critical health crisis in 2018, when Perry’s colon ruptured, leading to severe sepsis. Perry previously stated that doctors gave him only a two percent chance of survival. He spent three months in the hospital, and upon his return home, he required round-the-clock care. “He aged 20 years in three months,” Bowick says in the series. Regarding his use of ketamine, Bowick admits she was initially skeptical of the treatment. However, she notes that under clinical supervision, her brother appeared to be doing better than ever, describing the sessions as a spiritual experience. It was only after the autopsy report was released that the family learned he had been using ketamine outside of his prescribed medical treatment, a revelation Bowick describes as a “flood of confusion.” Matthew Perry was found dead in a hot tub at his home in California on October 28, 2023, at the age of 54. The medical examiner determined the cause of death to be the acute effects of ketamine, with drowning listed as a contributing factor. The series also touches upon the role of Perry’s longtime assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. Following Iwamasa’s conviction for his role in administering the fatal doses of ketamine, Bowick expressed a sense of betrayal. “He could have quit his job. He could have told someone in the family,” she says. Iwamasa was sentenced to three years and five months in prison for his involvement. “The One About Matthew Perry” features interviews with family, friends, and colleagues. According to The Hollywood Reporter, none of Perry’s five main “Friends” co-stars appear in the documentary.
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