Opinion: ‘Dishevelled Matthew Perry appears strained as he puffs on a Cigarette’

Matthew Perry looks worse for wear as he puffs on cigarette during spin through LA in first sighting since Friends reunion — reads a Daily Mail headline.

I spotted this browsing social media this morning and instantly became disgusted by their bashing of Perry‘s recent looks.

The history of Matthew is one that supporters of the star will remember; dating back to 1997 when the former Friends actor started a 28 day stint in rehab after it was made public he was addicted to Vicodin (an oral medication for pain relief). According to him, the reason for his use of Vicodin was due to a skiing accident causing him immense pain that led to a dependence of the pain killer.

Many noticed a change in his appearance between seasons 3 to 6 of Friends, something the 17 Again star acknowledged during an interview for The Chris Evans Breakfast Show in 2016, saying, “Oh, my goodness … I think the answer is, I don’t remember three years of it. So none of those … somewhere between season 3 and 6. A little bit of the time, I was a little out of it, yeah.” — This was in response to being asked which episode was his least favourite, if any.

Perry‘s sobriety was short-lived after he unfortunately relapsed in 2001 returning to rehab for a similar reason to his 1997 visit, this time adding on methadone, amphetamines and alcohol to a list of addictions. One note from this Daily Mail article is they have addressed the general fanbase concerns raised earlier this year during his appearance in the Friends Reunion episode, with many comparing him to his co-stars and their healthy complexes, alongside his obviously slurred speech that was later addressed as slurred speech due to an emergency tooth procedure.

The general consensus on social media is that he is ‘suffering’, but is that really the case? I doubt it. Let me be clear, I’m in no way proclaiming to know him personally but from an outsiders prospective, Matthew is trying to live the life of a normal, middle aged man.

As a lifelong lover of #Friends it scares me to think of #MatthewPerry deteriorating like this. I hope to God he gets help soon and we don’t end up with a hashtag of #RIP pic.twitter.com/qnHcyz8xFQ

— Coops (@Coops61335240) September 30, 2021

Popping into a local shop wearing a loose fitting top and jogging bottoms to grab an iced latte from Starbucks before lighting a cigarette as he heads back home. I mean, I do the same on a Sunday afternoon before the shops shut at 4pm replacing the cigarettes with my JUUL all whilst trying to avoid seeing someone I know in fear I will be judged wearing my curry stained, oversized t-shirt from the night before.

Is this just not a normal activity for some, or should I be describing myself as disheveled as I look worse for wear taking a spin in HC in first sighting since primary school? Stop with the horrendously demeaning headlines that pose as a linked story to fanbase concerns and just be better, Daily Mail. I understand journalism has taken a dive in the entertainment world with the lack of red carpet events in 2020, but James Bond has landed in the cinema and I want to see more about that, not trashing someones appearance in a demeaning manner.

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