1982 – Matthew revealed that he first tried alcohol at the age of 13.
1994 – After spending his post-high school years appearing in a series of American sitcoms, 24-year-old Matthew lands the role of Chandler Bing on Friends, which becomes an instant hit. He later told the New York Times of that period:
‘When [fame] It happens, it’s like Disneyland for a while. It lasted me like eight months, that feeling of ‘I did it, I’m excited, there’s not a problem in the world.’
“And then you realize it’s accomplishing nothing, it’s certainly not filling any voids in your life.”
1997 – At the peak of his success on the NBC sitcom, Matthew is injured in a jet ski accident. He is prescribed opioids to cope with the fame, and then remembers that he took the he prescribed pills without hesitation: ‘I did it and I felt better than I ever had in my life. I had a big problem with pills and alcohol, and I couldn’t stop.’
He entered rehab that same year, but said: ‘You can’t have a drug problem for 30 years and then expect it to be resolved in 28 days. Being sober is a very difficult thing to do.
1998 – Despite his rehab stint, the actor continues to battle addiction, revealing ‘I don’t remember three years of [the show]. Somewhere between seasons three and six…he was a little out of it.’ At one point in his run on Friends, he takes 55 Vicodin a day.
2001 – Matt completes another stint in rehab for addiction to Vicodin, methadone, amphetamines and alcohol.
2003 – The reality TV star is sober for the ninth season of Friends, when he was nominated for a Best Actor Emmy.
2004 – Friends wraps up after ten seasons
2007 – Receives Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations for his critically acclaimed performance in the lead role in the TNT film The Ron Clark Story.
2011 – The actor enters rehab for the third time, and a rep for the star says it was to prevent a relapse. The actor says in a statement: “I am making plans to be away for a month to focus on my sobriety and continue my life in recovery.” Please enjoy making fun of me on the World Wide Web.’
In his role as spokesperson for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, Matthew goes to Capitol Hill to pressure members of Congress to support drug court funding.
2013 – Receives a Champion of Recovery Award from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy for opening Perry House, a sober living home located in his former mansion in Malibu, California.
2015 – Matthew sells his house in Malibu and closes the rehab center.
2017 – A porn star reveals she fears Matthew has relapsed after the actor begged her to get him ’40/50′ prescription pills.
2018 – Matthew has abdominal surgery to repair a gastrointestinal perforation. He has now revealed that he was only given a two percent chance of survival after his opioid addiction caused his colon to explode when he was 49, leaving him in a coma for two weeks and spending months in hospital.
She has to wear a colostomy bag for nine months and has had 14 stomach surgeries in all over the years.
2021 -TThe cast of Friends is reuniting on screen for the first time in 17 years. There are concerns after Perry appears to drawl in a promo for the reunion special.
Ben Winston, who directed Friends: The Reunion, said of those who commented on Perry’s appearance during the HBO Max special: “That was great. People can be unkind sometimes. I wish they weren’t.
‘I loved working with him. He’s a brilliantly funny man and I thought he had some great lines on the show. I felt happy and lucky to be in his presence and lead him through something like this.
2022 – Matthew gives his first revealing interview detailing how his drug and alcohol addictions secretly nearly cost him his life.