Almost immediately after Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce, Ben was — to the great shock of many — suddenly hanging out with someone new! He’s now been linked to Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy — yes, as in that Kennedy fam. She’s the daughter of disturbing former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Per Page Six reports, they’ve been seen hanging out at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel and at other hotspots in El Lay lately, causing many to wonder if there’s something romantic between them. After all, he’s a free man now, right?

Related: How Jennifer Garner Feels About Bennifer Divorce

Right now, to be perfectly honest, nobody’s quite sure what to think. A source told People on Monday the duo is absolutely hanging out a lot together — but the motivation hasn’t been confirmed as romantic yet:

“Kick and Ben have been spending time together, but I’m not sure what’s happening.”

But the source does note it’s likely there are feelings on Kick’s part — as she has “always” had a thing for the actor:

“Kick’s celeb crush has always been Ben.”

Wow! Sooo swooping in at the end of his marriage was good timing on her part! LOLz!

It’s unclear when or how the potential new couple first met — or, crucially, when. So could this possible relationship — no matter if it’s romantic or platonic — have affected the marriage?? Maybe! The timing of everything sure doesn’t seem like a coincidence!

Another source claimed Ben and Kick have been “spending time together” since late spring — AKA, right as his marriage was coming to an end! The father of three moved out of his marital home in May following his split from the pop star — remember, she listed April 26 as the date of separation in her divorce filing. Yeah, so, the timing looks pretty sketchy! Hopefully, Ben and Kick’s interactions started after his romance with J.Lo was done, but anything’s possible!

Despite a 16-year age gap, RFK Jr’s 36-year-old daughter seemingly has a lot in common with Ben. She’s an activist and actress, so they can connect about industry things. Somewhat more concerning though, considering Ben’s addiction struggles, she’s described by the first source as a “partier” who “likes to have a good time.” Takes after her dad, we guess? We hope, if they are hanging out, that it doesn’t affect his sobriety!

While some are convinced there are sparks, not everyone’s sold. A third insider denied anything is happening:

“I don’t think they even know each other. There’s definitely nothing going on.”

Hmm… It’s hard to know what to think, but Ben does seem to be pretty happy right now despite his divorce! Maybe that’s ’cause he’s already got a new woman in his life??

What do YOU think, Perezcious readers? Could something romantic be going on here?? Send us your predictions in the comments (below)!

[Image via Derrick Salters/WENN/MEGA]

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Kayti Edwards spoke to The Mirror in an interview published on Friday, and revealed something extremely shocking about Perry’s past comments. According to her, the Friends star swore long before his death that he would never use intravenous drugs. And not only that, but he was apparently terrified of needles to the point that he wanted to stay away at all costs.

Related: Perry’s Code Name Used By ‘Ketamine Queen’ Dealer Hits Too Close To Home For Fans

Of course, a federal investigation into the people allegedly responsible for selling, procuring, and administering ketamine to the late sitcom star found that he was injected with the drug possibly almost two dozen or more times in the last week of his life. But according to Kayti, that version of Perry is completely unknown to her, because he previously swore that he’d never use drugs intravenously. Of the feds’ injection findings, she told that outlet:

“This is the weird thing to me … Matthew always, always told me that he would never, ever use needles or inject anything into his body. He didn’t even want to have tattoos.”

Edwards began dating the Whole Nine Yards star back in 2006, and then much later worked for him as an assistant in 2011, after which they remained friends for the rest of his life. But according to her, during their time together, she would “often see him very high and using lots of different drugs.” Naturally, that “scared” her because she was worried that overdoing it with those substances — and mixing substances in various dosages — could kill him.

But at the time, Perry assured her that wouldn’t happen. The television star, who was just 54 when he died last October, said this to Edwards about it when he was still alive:

“But he was like, ‘you only die when you use needles … and I would never, ever, ever do that.'”

Chilling…

Of course, cops now say that Perry’s assistant Kenneth Iwamasa administered an intravenous dose of ketamine to the Fools Rush In star hours before the actor passed out and drowned in the jacuzzi of his home. Perry had supposedly asked him a very heartbreaking and disturbing thing before that final dose was administered. And then, after leaving to run errands for a bit, Iwamasa came back and discovered Perry dead in the hot tub.

Such a sad situation all around. And still so damn heartbreaking…

[Image via ABC News/YouTube]

The post Matthew Perry Made The Most Chilling Promise About His Drug Use To His Ex Before Death appeared first on Perez Hilton.

In Matthew Perry’s book, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, published in 2022, the actor opened up about his past drug use as the “Big Terrible Thing.” But he also spoke about the drug that ultimately killed him — ketamine. When discussing that one, however, he only had good things to say.

It should have been a huge red flag…

Matty’s use of the drug began as ketamine therapy. The Friends star had started using the hallucinogenic drugs under medical supervision as part of a treatment plan for depression, during which doctors would combine ketamine with the anxiety medication Ativan — and it worked wonders. Until, as we all know, it became the problem.

Related: Matthew Perry & Brooke Mueller’s Dangerous Connection Explained 

The comedian recalled it feeling like “being hit in the head with a giant happy shovel.” He remarked:

“Ketamine felt like a giant exhale. They’d bring me into a room, sit me down, put headphones on me so I would listen to music, blindfold me, and put an IV in.”

The 17 Again alum openly struggled with addiction for much of his adult life, so his description of the drug is pretty harrowing now. He said:

“Ketamine was a very popular street drug in the 1980s. There is a synthetic form of it now, and it’s used for two reasons: to ease pain and help with depression. Has my name written all over it — they might as well have called it ‘Matty.’”

Oof. The late 54-year-old recalled getting used to the hallucinogenic effects, noting he would often “disassociate” and “see things” during his sessions. He explained:

“I’d been in therapy for so long that I wasn’t even freaked out by this. Oh, there’s a horse over there? Fine — might as well be.”

He went on:

“As the music played and the K ran through me, it all became about the ego, and the death of the ego.”

In retrospect he’s absolutely just writing about taking drugs. We mean, right?? In the same way, it wasn’t always a good experience, as he expressed:

“I often thought that I was dying during that hour. ‘Oh,’ I thought, ‘this is what happens when you die.’ […] Yet I would continually sign up for this s**t because it was something different, and anything different is good.”

Jeez. That’s hard to read all this knowing this really would be how he died. As Perezcious readers know, the Fools Rush In alum passed away on October 28, 2023, after he was found unconscious in his jacuzzi. It was determined he died from the “acute effects of ketamine use,” and his assistant Kenneth Iwamasa was just arrested for involvement in the death. Per the Department of Justice, he was the person who administered the fatal dose of ketamine that killed the beloved star. Four others, including two doctors, were also charged.

So, so heartbreaking that something Matthew once thought was helping him ultimately just fed into his addiction further, and that those in his inner circle didn’t try to put a stop to it. Unfortunately no one who read the book clocked the issue he was developing with ketamine either. We all really believed he was sober.

Thoughts? Share them in the comments (below).

[Image via Joseph Marzullo/WENN]

The post What Matthew Perry Wrote About Ketamine In His Book Should Have Been A HUGE Red Flag He Was In Trouble appeared first on Perez Hilton.

That’s according to new court documents filed in defendant Erik Fleming‘s plea agreement. Fleming is one of the five people who have been caught up legally in the aftermath of the Friends star’s death last October from a ketamine overdose. He previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. And now, he’s revealing all about the alleged operation that led to Perry’s addiction battle and eventual death.

Related: Red Flags Ignored! Matthew Perry Had Been Found ‘Unconscious’ Multiple Times Before Death!

According to Page Six, which first obtained these new court docs on Thursday, Fleming claimed to cops that the so-called “Ketamine Queen” Jasveen Sangha, who has also been indicted in Perry’s death and thus far pleaded not guilty, chose to use his sitcom fame to refer to him. Fleming claimed Sangha identified Perry when it came time to allegedly distribute drugs by “using a name of a well-known character that [Perry] portrayed in a television series.” Oof.

Now, Fleming’s plea agreement with the cops doesn’t specifically indicate which character name that would be. In addition to his role on Friends, Perry did have star turns on other television series, including The Odd Couple, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and Go On.

But, like, come on. How could the code name NOT be the iconic Chandler Bing? Who can even name his characters in any of those other projects??

TBH, that makes Perry’s death even a little more heartbreaking than it already has been for Friends fans. To know he was losing the battle of addiction to the point of death while those around him were allegedly pushing him further and further for profit AND making light of his career while doing it is just… horrific. Ugh.

Related: Matthew Perry & Brooke Mueller’s Dangerous Connection Explained

FWIW, per Page Six, the Department of Justice has not commented on these plea agreement docs, or confirmed which sitcom series character name was used as Sangha’s alleged code. Regardless, this whole thing remains so damn sad. Our hearts are breaking all over again for Perry’s family, friends, and loved ones amid all these new criminal case reveals. We can’t even imagine how hard it is for them (and for Friends fans) to re-open all those wounds again.

R.I.P.

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.

[Image via Friends/YouTube/MEGA/WENN]

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Charlie Sheen‘s ex-wife was not charged — unlike several others — but it turns out cops were right to be looking into her. A source told Us Weekly on Wednesday that the pair had a complicated relationship over the years after befriending each other in rehab as they dealt with their addiction and mental health struggles. The insider explained:

“They met at rehab a couple times, and when they reconnected the last time at treatment they were back on each other’s radars.”

But unfortunately, they allegedly didn’t just lean on each other for support.

Related: Matthew Perry Included Only ONE Ex-Girlfriend In His Will

The Friends alum reportedly turned to Brooke for “favors,” they dished:

“Matthew was a friend who would ask her for favors. And Matthew was relentless. That’s what an addict is. She was a pawn to Matthew. They didn’t go to dinner or hang out. He was isolated even from friends and family.”

The insider believes these “favors” included exchanging names of shady doctors who were more lax about prescriptions, they claimed:

“On and off for years Matthew and Brooke had been trading information on doctors. And it was implied they were more liberal than others when it came to meds.”

Oof. The source claimed Brooke “would give him names to potentially questionable doctors.” And even more, this was usually a one-sided trade:

“Typically, Matthew was the one to reach out to her, not the other way around. It was a random text and Facetime.”

Their connection quickly concerned those in the Fools Rush In star’s inner circle so much that measures were supposedly taken to cut them off. The source shared:

“People in his life tried to prevent him from reaching out to her.”

The source added that Matthew “was already dependent on prescriptions just to manage his daily healthcare needs.” But you combine that with his addiction, and it was a brutal (and eventually deadly) combination.

Ultimately, five people were charged in Matthew’s tragic death: his personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, “Ketamine Queen” Jasveen Sangha, Dr. Mark Chavez, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, and Erik Fleming. Charges included conspiracy to distribute ketamine, distribution of ketamine resulting in death, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and altering and falsifying records related to a federal investigation, per Us. Drowning, coronary artery disease, the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opiate addiction), and other health conditions were also listed as contributing factors to Matthew’s death, but it was the high level of ketamine in his system that was most concerning.

While he’d been using ketamine therapy to treat his depression and anxiety under supervision, the amount of drugs in his system and the timing of his death indicated that it hadn’t been part of his therapy. It was later determined that his assistant allegedly helped supply him several times with ketamine on the day of his death. Just tragic.

While Brooke had allegedly been trading doctor’s names with him, cops must not have found anything incriminating during their questioning since she wasn’t arrested. Per In Touch, authorities took Brooke’s laptop and iPhone amid an investigation and she “was completely cooperative.” She’s yet to open up about the investigation or her relationship with the late actor.

Thoughts? Let us know (below).

[Image via FayesVision/WENN]

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As Perezcious readers know, the 52-year-old actress was a huge supporter of the former couple and rooted for them to work things out. She even reportedly stepped up to lend an ear to J.Lo when she wanted to fix things and encouraged “Ben to work on his marriage to Jen.” Even though it bothered her boyfriend, John Miller, how much she “hyper-focused on her ex-husband” and his drama, she continued to show up for them. Garner essentially became a “marriage counselor”!

Related: Why Jennifer Lopez’s Divorce Filing Is Actually Unusual For A Celebrity! 

However, she eventually took a step back and let them figure it out on their own once it got “too painful” and brought back too many memories of her divorce from Ben. Ultimately, the Alias alum didn’t get her wish. Ben and Jennifer did not get back together after they separated in April. The Dance Again artist filed for divorce this week instead.

Now, in light of the breakup, Garner feels like she was just a “pawn” while trying to get them to work out their issues in a way that would not affect Ben’s sobriety. A source told Dailymail.com on Wednesday:

“Jen feels slightly used as a pawn in JLo’s bid to repair her marriage. She doesn’t believe it was intentional. But when Jen realized her ex-husband’s marriage was past the point of salvation, her only concern was Ben’s well-being and sobriety.”

Given the two are raising three kids together, it’s no wonder she didn’t want anything like the stress of his separation to impact his sobriety! The insider added that her close pals didn’t like the way Jennifer leaned on Garner so much, despite knowing their complicated history:

“She was put in the middle and her friends think – no matter how you look at it – a man’s ex-wife should never have to play mediator in a divorce from his new wife. Especially when said wife was a big love who Jen was compared to throughout their 13-year marriage.”

That being said, the 13 Going On 30 star “is happy that Ben is now happy.” The good thing is that Garner will have some peace and won’t have to deal with Bennifer’s problems anymore now! Well, hopefully not! The two still have to go through the divorce process, and they did not have a prenup or the money details figured out beforehand! We all know how divorces without prenups can get messy! Let’s hope for the best that Ben and Jen can keep things amicable moving forward — if not for the sake of Garner, who is most likely sick of hearing about the drama at this point, than for their kiddos!

Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments below!

[Image via LiveKellyandMark/YouTube, MEGA/WENN]

The post Jennifer Garner Felt Like A ‘Pawn’ While Trying To Help Jennifer Lopez Fix Marriage To Ben Affleck Before Divorce! appeared first on Perez Hilton.

The 34-year-old recording artist, whose real name is Colson Baker, opened up about his personal life on Sunday as a guest on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast. This isn’t the first podcast in recent weeks on which MGK has shared some really heavy personal stuff. But as you’ll soon see, this is definitely the most touching and inspirational of all his recent reveals…

Related: MGK Chooses ‘Pain’ Rather Than Saying Anything Mean About Taylor Swift! Smart, TBH!

The topic this time around was the Bloody Valentine singer’s previous years of substance abuse, and the impetus for finally getting clean and sober after living for so long with a clouded head: his teenage daughter Casie Colson Baker! As MGK explained during the interview, the 15-year-old — whom MGK shares with his ex Emma Cannon — came to him a few years ago, when she was just 11 or 12, and confronted him about not being sober. The way she said it at the time was so candid and chilling, too:

“It started with my daughter saying, ‘Dad, you know I can tell when you’re high.'”

OMG…

That’s a sobering thought if ever we’ve heard one. We don’t even know how we’d respond to something like that. And obviously, MGK was thrown by it at the time, too. He recalled being crushed over her admission:

“It broke my heart. It was like the ultimate letdown.”

Seriously, tho. So freakin’ sad!

But there is a happy ending to that story. Even though it took a little while longer for MGK to get clean — as he readily admitted, “obviously drugs have a vice grip on you” — he did step back from his substance abuse habits. And looking back on it now, the Emo Girl singer can confidently say that it was Casie’s confrontation that got him on the right path. That part of this story is SO good!!

The recording artist also did a lot of work on himself after Casie’s life-changing comment. That included reflecting on why he jumped into drugs in the first place, which came about in part due to childhood trauma involving his own father failing to step up. As MGK grew up, that trauma led to the star’s young adulthood spent abusing substances:

“Really that’s just a reflection of him [my dad] not being who he wanted to be. To be the father I wish my dad would have been, I have to break this generational curse for my kid.”

Breaking generational curses is clearly a thing that’s been on MGK’s mind quite a bit recently. As you may recall, that is also a major theme in his most recent single and music video for Lonely Road alongside Jelly Roll. Clearly, he’s thinking a lot about the future, and his daughter. And we love to see that things are going well now! Reactions and well wishes, y’all?! Share ’em (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.

[Image via MEGA/WENN/Machine Gun Kelly/Instagram]

The post 'It Broke My Heart': MGK Reveals The Absolutely Crushing Thing His Daughter Said To Inspire His Sobriety appeared first on Perez Hilton.

Last week, two doctors, a woman known as the “Ketamine Queen,” an alleged drug distributor, and the actor’s live-in personal assistant were arrested for supplying him with illegal ketamine that ultimately lead to his death in October of 2023. And ever since, the fallout has been swift and shocking.

As Perezcious readers know, the Friends star tragically died at his home in Los Angeles. He was found unconscious in his jacuzzi, where he drowned following the “acute effects of ketamine,” the medical examiner determined. Just so heartbreaking. And even worse after we’ve continued to hear more and more about how all those closest to him kept feeding into his addiction despite some very obvious and concerning warning signs.

Related: Lisa Kudrow Finally Rewatching Friends For Absolutely Heartbreaking Reason

Speaking to People on Monday night, a source told the outlet that “the arrests have brought back a lot of feelings” for the actor’s close friends. The insider elaborated:

“Matthew did have true friends that loved and cared about him. They would have all tried to help him if he’d reached out.”

Oof. The source continued:

“It makes them sad that he was surrounded by enablers.”

Addiction is such a challenge — and it is certainly not easy to be the one to confront a loved one amid their struggles, but it’s the right thing to do. It’s also something Matthew has admitted being grateful for in the past, such as when Jennifer Aniston called him out on his drinking problem.

You would have hoped that those closest to the Fools Rush In alum would’ve done more to protect him in his final days. Most especially his personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa who, according to court docs obtained by Us Weekly, found the television star “unconscious at his residence on at least two occasions” due to the usage of “significant quantities of ketamine” just days before he would die of the drug. The red flags were right there! And yet nobody did anything. Awful.

It’s no wonder Matthew’s “true friends” are now going through it. He was so deeply loved by so many people who witnessed his ups and downs with addiction for years and would’ve done anything to help him get better. It’s natural for them to wonder “what if” at this point. But sadly, it’s too late.

This continues to be such a devastating situation, but we hope that at least justice will be served. Thoughts? Share them in the comments (below).

[Image via The Late Show/YouTube]

The post Matthew Perry Drug Arrests 'Brought Back A Lot Of Feelings' For His 'True Friends' -- Here's What Makes Them Most 'Sad' About His Death appeared first on Perez Hilton.

As we reported over the weekend, Perry made a truly crushing last statement to his assistant Kenneth Iwamasa on that fateful day back in October 2023, just hours before his death. And now, as it turns out, there were multiple HUGE red flags that had occurred just prior to the Friends actor’s death that were completely overlooked.

Related: Perry Met His ‘Ketamine Queen’ Drug Dealer In Rehab — Here’s Why That Is SO Troubling!

According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Monday, between October 24 and 27, 2023 — just a few days before Perry’s passing on the 28th of that month — Iwamasa found the television star “unconscious at his residence on at least two occasions” due to the usage of “significant quantities of ketamine” at that time.

Holy s**t!

AT LEAST TWO different points where Perry became unconscious from the drug?! In just four days leading up to his death?? So unsettling. And tragic! And it’s doubly tragic because according to those very same court docs, Iwamasa just kept on injecting the Friends alum “with approximately 6-8 shots per day” despite those two unconsciousness scares. WTF…

As we reported over the weekend, Iwamasa allegedly injected Perry with a first shot of ketamine at approximately 8:30 a.m. on the October 28. Then, about four hours later, he administered a second shot. Following that, as we’ve noted, the Canadian actor asked Iwamasa to prepare the hot tub and “shoot me up with a big one” — Perry’s last known words — despite having only just received that prior shot about 40 minutes before.

Following the third injection, Iwamasa left the star’s Los Angeles home to run errands. Upon returning to the residence later that afternoon, he found Perry face down in the hot tub. The star was soon thereafter officially pronounced dead. And of course, medical examiners later determined that Perry’s cause of death came from the “acute effects of ketamine” that led to his drowning in the jacuzzi.

Now that we are finally learning about the horribly scary events in the days leading up to Perry’s tragic and untimely passing, the whole situation is somehow even more heartbreaking. Two unconsciousness events right before death! Ugh! We continue to send our condolences to Perry’s family, friends, loved ones, and co-stars amid this incredibly awful ongoing situation.

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.

[Image via WENN.]

The post Red Flags Ignored! Matthew Perry Had Been Found ‘Unconscious’ Multiple Times Before Death! appeared first on Perez Hilton.

The Friends alum died last October at his home in west Los Angeles, of course. He’d ingested a fatal dose of ketamine while in his hot tub on October 28, and was then found unconscious and face down in the water. And now, based on newly released documents that have come out amid all the arrests that have been made in the case involving his death, we know now what his final words were to his assistant Kenneth Iwamasa.

Related: Matthew Met His ‘Ketamine Queen’ Drug Dealer In Rehab — Here’s Why That Is SO Troubling!

Per DailyMail.com, according to newly released court docs in the case against those who supplied ketamine to Perry, the last words he told his assistant before he was found dead in his home were:

“Shoot me up with a big one.”

OMG…

On that fateful day, Perry asked Iwamasa to “prepare the jacuzzi,” according to the docs, before requesting that he get “shot up” with ketamine by the loyal assistant. Prosecutors say Perry received a first shot of ketamine at around 8:30 a.m on the day he died, and then another one at about 12:45 p.m. that afternoon.

The docs also revealed that Perry was found unconscious at his El Lay home TWICE in incidents before that fateful day in October when he died. Jeez…

What a horrible situation all around. And to think that those were Perry’s last known words… that’s truly heartbreaking on a whole new level.

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.

[Image via Joseph Marzullo/WENN]

The post These Were Matthew Perry's Devastating Final Words To His Assistant appeared first on Perez Hilton.