“We’d been mourning Matthew for a long time” - Jennifer Aniston talks about helping Friends co-star Matthew Perry in his addiction struggle

Friends alum Jennifer Aniston is all set to return to television with the highly anticipated fourth season of The Morning Show on Apple TV+. The now 56-year-old stars alongside Reese Witherspoon in the critically acclaimed drama series, which has earned 25 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, among others. Ahead of the show’s fourth season, Aniston opened up about her life in a candid interview with Vanity Fair.

The actress touched upon her career and friends, providing insights into her attempts to support Friends co-star Matthew Perry through his addiction struggles. The 54-year-old actor passed away in 2023 after years of struggling with substance abuse with the cast banding together to collectively help their friend.

In light of Perry's addiction, Aniston admitted that it felt like they’d been mourning him for years because of how difficult the battle was for Perry.

“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 said.

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Jennifer Aniston opens up about helping Matthew Perry with his substance issues struggles

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Jennifer Aniston portrayed Rachel Green for all ten seasons of Friends. While her character shared many comedic scenes with Matthew Perry's Chandler Bing, behind the cameras, the situation was often far more serious. The actress recently revealed her emotional journey of supporting Perry through his battles with addiction.

The actress, in a heartfelt conversation with Vanity Fair, revealed that she and the rest of the cast reached out to help Perry during his challenging period.

“We did everything we could when we could,” Aniston said.

Aniston also expressed that despite the pain of his loss, she finds some comfort knowing he's no longer suffering. Perry passed away in 2023 after being found dead because of the "acute effects of ketamine", with drowning also a factor, as per he autopsy report.

“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,” she added.

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Jennifer Aniston talks about her friendship with Sandra Bullock and Gwyneth Paltrow

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Having been in the industry for decades, Jennifer Aniston admitted that she never chased fame and got into acting because she wanted to make stories that moved people. She also revealed that she began joining women’s circles with her friends, as that’s always been something she’s interested in. She added,

“That opened me up to the importance of women in each other’s lives and how important it is to support and hold each other up when so many want to tear each other down.”

This also references her friendship with Sandra Bullock, which began when the two met at a wedding 15 years ago and proceeded to spend the night drinking together. Bullock, in the same interview with Vanity Fair, admitted that the two quickly became friends despite it not being the norm.

“We were from that time in the business where no one wanted the ladies to be friends—it was about pitting everyone against each other. We were told we weren’t supposed to do that—meaning like and respect and honor each other,” Bullock said.

Gwyneth Paltrow is another friend of the actress and the two met while Aniston’s Friends co-star David Schwimmer was a part of the film The Pallbearer. The two also shared an off-screen love interest with Paltrow once engaged to Aniston’s former husband, Brad Pitt. Aniston also quipped,

“Ironically, I went to her and Brad’s engagement party.”

Jennifer Aniston however, revealed that their friendship extends to trading wellness intel and swapping advice for various doctors and more.

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