Matthew Perry refused to watch Friends as it was too 'painful'

Matthew Perry previously revealed in an interview that he refused to watch Friends because it was too ‘painful’.

The Hollywood actor gained worldwide fame while starring in the hit ‘90s sitcom for 10 seasons as Chandler Bing.

Fans of Friends, as well as his friends and family, have paid tribute to Perry after he was found dead at his California home after an apparent drowning aged 54.

TMZ reported that no illegal drugs were found at the scene of Perry’s death.

Law enforcement told the outlet that first responders were initially called to Perry’s home for a 'water rescue'. No foul play is expected at this time but the investigation is ongoing.

Perry had been candid about his struggle with addiction and he revealed in his 2022 memoir that he couldn’t watch the show because it reminded him of his use of alcohol and drugs at the time.

In the memoir titled Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry said he ‘can’t watch the show back’ because he can see the physical signs of his disease.

“I was taking 55 Vicodin a day, I weighed 128 pounds, I was on Friends getting watched by 30 million people—and that’s why I can’t watch the show, ’cause I was brutally thin,” Perry said in a CBC interview last year.

“I didn’t watch the show, and haven’t watched the show, because I could go, ‘Drinking, opiates, drinking, cocaine,’” he said. “I could tell season by season, by how I looked. That’s why I don’t wanna watch it, because that’s what I see.”

Gary Null/NBCU Photo

Perry said he was ‘never wasted while working’, although he would go to set ‘extremely hungover’ to the point of shaking.

“But Chandler never changed, the writing never changed,” he added. “It was my ability to pull off this addiction that I didn’t understand.”

Perry became famous around the world after starring as Chandler Bing in Friends alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc.

The sitcom was hugely popular when it exploded onto the scene in 1994, and remains so today in large part thanks to the talent of the iconic six stars, particularly Perry's iconic portrayal of Chandler.

His jokes and sarcasm made Perry and his character a staple of pop culture and for many he was the favourite of the Friends ensemble.

NBC - which aired Friends - confirmed the tragic news of the beloved actor's death in a statement, writing: "We are incredibly saddened by the too soon passing of Matthew Perry.

"He brought so much joy to hundreds of millions of people around the world with his pitch-perfect comedic timing and wry wit. His legacy will live on through countless generations."