‘Friends’ Star On The Mend After Surgery, Reports ‘E! News’
A former star of the iconic NBC television series Friends has been hospitalized and has undergone gastrointestinal surgery, per a news story published by Page Six.
Matthew Perry is on the mend after reportedly undergoing the procedure, according to E! News.
The former Friends star’s rep told E! News the actor “recently underwent surgery in a Los Angeles hospital to repair a gastrointestinal perforation.”
“He is grateful for the concern and asks for continued privacy as he heals,” Perry’s rep continued, according to Access Hollywood.
Page Six described the condition Perry was treated for.
“A gastrointestinal perforation is when a hole develops in the gastrointestinal tract, which runs from the throat to the rectum. It can be caused by various factors such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or appendicitis.”
Although the actor has struggled against drug and alcohol abuse, which can lead to gastrointestinal issues, there has been no confirmation that his past issues led to his current medical state.
Perry opened a sober-living facility named The Perry House in Malibu, California, after overcoming his addictions. He has since sold the property. Perry attended rehab in both 1997 and 2001.
In 2015, the actor revealed to The Hollywood Reporter in a video for Phoenix House, a California-based treatment center, “You can’t have a drug problem for 30 years and then expect to have it be solved in 28 days. At Phoenix House, I was very moved by the hope that I saw there, which is what this is all about.”
“Getting sober is a really hard thing to do.”
Matthew Perry is on the mend after undergoing surgery to repair a gastrointestinal perforation: https://t.co/ipIPt8BQDm pic.twitter.com/8UTIMZtuOW
— Access Hollywood (@accesshollywood) August 8, 2018
He was later awarded in 2015 with a Phoenix Rising Award from the treatment center.
“I’m an award-winning alcoholic,” Perry revealed to THR. “I shouldn’t be getting an award; Phoenix House should be getting an award.”
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life and a lot of wonderful accolades,” he said, as reported by E! “But the best thing about me is that if an alcoholic comes up to me and says, ‘Will you help me stop drinking?’ I will say, ‘Yes. I know how to do that.'”
Perry starred as the wise-cracking Chandler Bing on the NBC sitcom. He has been open about his health over the years, including speaking about his battles with alcohol and the pain medication Vicodin.
“When I was in big trouble, it was so public because I was on a TV show that 30 million people were watching,” Perry said in 2015 an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “The fact that I (am) on TV makes people listen a little bit more, so I take advantage of that from time to time.”
