[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Matthew Perry was reportedly in a very dark place before his death.
As we all know, the Friends star suddenly died In October after drowning in his hot tub. At the time, he was believed to be sober and healthy — but then the shock autopsy report came out, revealing his cause of death was the “acute effects of ketamine.” He’d been doing ketamine infusion therapy to treat his depression, but the medical examiner said there was WAY more in his system than there should’ve been considering his last therapy session was over a week before he died. So, it all pointed to him doing drugs recreationally again, and now several insiders are doubling down on this — and revealing even more harrowing details about Matthew’s last months.
Related: Matthew Perry’s Death May Affect Where You Can Watch Friends Reruns
In a bombshell report from Us Weekly out on Wednesday, an insider explained that those who knew the 17 Again actor weren’t surprised by the news, saying:
“Everybody close to Matthew was saying he died from an overdose.”
Just so devastating considering all he’d done to try to get sober over the years…
Furthermore, the source also noted that friends of Perry’s didn’t think he’d ever gotten the proper help for his mental health, adding:
“The way he dealt with that was to isolate. Since [Friends ended], he was set financially and didn’t have to work, so it created an environment to use.”
Three other sources with close knowledge of the situation also claimed the 54-year-old had been lying about his sobriety in the time leading up to his death and during the promo tour for his memoir (when he claimed he was 18 months sober). FWIW, the autopsy report also stated that he had been reportedly clean for 19 months at the time of this death.
Regardless of what the Serving Sara lead was saying, insiders alleged he was continuing to use prescription drugs, but it wasn’t even his most troubling behavior. Calling Matthew “manipulative,” one person suggested:
“He was verbally, emotionally and physically abusive. […] All he knew how to do was cause pain and play the victim.”
A second confidant insisted that the star “wasn’t a horrible human being. [But] he was so warped in his addiction that he wasn’t himself and the man he should be.” As for the abuse claims, the first and second insiders claimed that in March 2022 a confrontation broke out between The Whole Nine Yards alum and his best friend of seven years and occasional sober companion, Morgan Moses. Apparently, per the second source, Matthew became “irate” after he was confronted about being high on drugs and the conversation escalated into a physical assault against his pal, who declined to comment on the story. The first source added:
“He threw [Moses] into a wall and threw something at her and shoved her onto a bed.”
According to them, The Odd Couple star was known to punch walls, flip tables, and throw things during angry outbursts — and in this particular incident, he took it even further:
“This time, he took threats and hints of violence into actual violence.”
After the alleged outburst, he reportedly “still said, ‘If I wanted to hurt you, I would have.’” Jeez. So not the Matt we know of… Understandably, Moses quickly left after the alleged assault and the Emmy nominee was “mortified” by his actions, calling up their mutual friends to try to smooth things over, the source shared:
“He was panicking because the person who was always by his side had left him.”
While the two friends tried to mend fences, they ultimately couldn’t get over the incident. Expressing just how significant this was, the first source mused:
“Morgan was his best friend, and he burned that to the ground. He pushed her to her absolute breaking point. Everyone just wanted him to be OK, and he was awful … He would get pissed off about little things and then flip the narrative about what really happened to make himself the victim. [He would] escalate the situation so he could say, ‘Poor me. I’ve been hurt, and you abandoned me.’ He put people on a ride from hell.”
Sadly, this wasn’t Matthew’s only incident of alleged abuse, either. The first source also claimed he once got an ex-girlfriend addicted to drugs — and she threatened to sue him for emotional and psychological abuse in 2020! While the outlet withheld her name, she was in her early 20s when she linked up with the celeb and things went awry:
“She claimed that he was abusive and got her addicted to drugs, including oxycodone and painkillers.”
The ex had enlisted the help of a high-profile legal firm to help her with her case and she allegedly even had evidence to support her claims. But she never ended up filing since Perry settled with her first. The second source and a third person close to the ex also corroborated the first’s account of what happened. The third source chimed in:
“Their relationship was on and off for a few years. They were done by 2020. The substance abuse was a big part of the breakup [and] it did turn tumultuous.”
The pair met in rehab and the GF wasn’t doing drugs or opioids at the time… until she fell for Matty:
“The age difference of someone in their early 20s and late 40s and early 50s — there’s a power play in that. I think he took a lot of advantage of her because he got her hooked on drugs.”
The confidant also noted that the ex threatened litigation for emotional distress and “the manipulation involved [with him] getting her hooked on opioids. There was money involved. She settled [and] there was an NDA. I think it was a way for her not [to be able to] share her experiences with him.” That said, the outlet wasn’t able to independently confirm details about a lawsuit or settlement.
Sadly, there’s more…
Per the first source, many other people in Matthew’s orbit made allegations about him behind the scenes, such as one of his nurses who supposedly left the profession because she was so traumatized by working with him! OMG! They dished:
“He was cruel.… He had to pay for a lot of women to go to therapy. He left a lot of destruction.”
He could also allegedly be reckless while under the influence. Recalling an alleged incident when the Ally McBeal alum was claiming to be sober, the first source went on:
“Apparently, he crashed his Aston Martin many times while high. […] He just damaged the car and no one was hurt, [but] he did not consider [that] he could have killed someone.”
All the talk about him being sober in and while promoting his book “was a lie,” the first source doubled down:
“He wanted to sell books. Everything was crafted and manipulated; the truth wasn’t important.”
Oof.
Related: David Schwimmer Looks Back On One Of His ‘Favorite Moments’ With Matthew
Even the second source doesn’t think anyone in his inner circle would be shocked when it came to learning anything about his substance abuse habits. Noting that “addicts are smart, and Matthew was brilliant,” the second insider claimed the Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing author would meet young women on Raya and convince them to give him drugs:
“He would do the FaceTime thing and get to know them. Then it would be like, ‘Let’s hang out,’ and he would say [to come to his house]. He wasn’t out in public anymore. That’s how he snuck things past people.”
It doesn’t help that the final years of his life were spent largely in isolation:
“He was living locked up and not reaching out to [people]. That was his pattern when he used. He would cut himself off from everyone.”
While he may be known for playing the beloved character Chandler Bing on the famed sit-com, much of his loneliness came from not finding love or the same amount of success as some of his former co-stars, the confidant continued:
“He wanted a family and never found that person to settle down with. It was a tale of loneliness and how having all the money and fame can’t save anyone.”
The second source agreed with his hopes to start a family:
“He wanted consistency. As much as he was a loner, he didn’t want to be.”
A punch in the gut to Friends fans out there, but the first source claimed he was “jealous” of his co-stars, explaining:
“Matthew viewed himself and the cast as winning the same lottery with the show’s success. They reaped the benefits of fame and fortune, but they didn’t have to deal with the pain of addiction. [There were times] he resented them for that.”
And while Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer all seemed incredibly close with him, he was always keeping secrets:
“He lied to all of them about so many things over the years. He had so much respect for them, but he [didn’t always] have positive things to say about them. He felt inferior [to them], so when he spoke negatively, it came from that insecurity.”
While he “really was” the charismatic and talented person the world knew, the addiction changed him as it so often does, the second source concluded:
“He just became someone else because of his addiction. People still deeply cared for him in spite of his disease and lived for the hope that he would remain sober.”
In the wake of his devastating loss, the Matthew Perry Foundation has been set up to help those struggling with addictions — something Matthew “couldn’t” do for himself, the first source sadly reflected:
“[Perry] had everyone and everything, he just didn’t know what to do with it. He could’ve saved the world, but he couldn’t save himself. [Now] his foundation can actually help people.”
Wow. There are a lot of allegations here, and they don’t paint a pretty picture. Addiction is such a beast. Just heartbreaking. 
Thoughts? Let us know (below)…
If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org
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