When Matthew Perry Wrote a ‘Big Fat Check’ to Michael J. Fox’s Foundation After Major ‘Friends’ Deal

Everyone knows Matthew Perry was interested in giving back to the world, primarily through his sobriety initiatives, but few knew he was like this long before he got sober.

Actor Michael J. Fox opened up about the late Friends actor's most generous gesture in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. As one of the highest-grossing shows in the world, Friends got a gigantic contract once, and Perry made sure he did right with the money he was receiving. “I hope this isn’t indiscreet … But when they first made their big sale [on their Friends contracts] and were made millionaires for the rest of their lives, he wrote a big fat check to the [Michael J. Fox] Foundation,” Fox, 62, told the outlet. 

“We were early on and trying to find our feet. And it was such a vote of confidence.” Perry's kind gesture, Fox continued, wasn't “accompanied by any self-aggrandizing,” but rather represented Perry's belief in Fox's sincere intentions. “It was a, ‘Take it and do your best,'” Fox said. “I loved that.”

Fox disclosed in 1998 that he received a Parkinson's disease diagnosis seven years earlier. After that, he became a staunch supporter of curing the neuro-degenerative disorder and established the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 to fund research on finding a cure.

During those years, Perry collaborated with the remaining Friends cast members in 2002 to secure a record-breaking $1 million per episode for each of the six main cast members, per US Weekly. The actor collectively negotiated the contract with Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and Lisa Kudrow, threatening to leave the NBC hit if they weren't paid equally.

According to Fox, who spoke with ET on Monday, he and Perry “spent some time together over the years” and eventually grew close because of their shared passion for hockey. He referred to the late sitcom star as a “funny guy,” saying, “I’m happy I had an impact on him.”

Fox was also frequently complimented publicly for his talent by the late star. In an interview with Tom Power in November 2022, the Fools Rush In actor revealed how Fox influenced his career as an actor. “I was young, I had done a couple of plays in school, and Michael J. Fox was it, man,” Perry gushed at the time. “When I was in ninth grade, Michael J. Fox had just done Back to the Future, and there was smoke coming out of my ears, I was so jealous of this guy.”

Perry recalled that it felt unprecedented for Fox to have both the nation's top movie and the top television program at the same time with Family Ties. “He was huge,” he said. “And I don’t know anybody else who’s done that — except me.”