Matthew Perry Hospitalized

Former Friends star lands in sick bay after bad reaction to prescription medication

By Sarah Hall Feb 14, 2005 8:45 PMTags

It seems Matthew Perry may be having a hard time getting by without the help of his Friends.

The actor spent 24 hours in a Los Angeles hospital last week after he suffered a negative reaction to a prescribed medication, his rep confirmed Monday.

"He's better than recovering, he's perfectly fine. This was no big deal," said publicist Lisa Kasteler.

No other details of the stay were given.

Perry has publicly struggled in the past with addiction to pain medication and alcohol abuse. He completed two separate rehab stints in 1997 and 2001 and was hospitalized in 2000 for pancreatitis related to his heavy drinking and drugging ways.

Since Friends completed its 10-year run, Perry's schedule has remained the least congested of his former sitcom peers.

Perry stars with his father, John Bennett Perry, in the upcoming film, The Beginning of Wisdom. The duo previously paired up for 1997's Fools Rush In.

Apart from Wisdom and a stint directing and cameoing in a November Scrubs, the snarky Chandler-portraying thesp doesn't have a whole lot on his agenda, especially when compared to his fellow Friends alums.

The busiest ex-Friend is the newly single Jennifer Aniston, who's lined up for a half-dozen films over the next couple of years, including comedies Rumor Has It and Friends with Money.

Lisa Kudrow is starring in the upcoming HBO series Comeback, in which she'll play a washed-up sitcom star trying to revive her career. Kudrow shares writing duties on the project with Sex and the City producer Michael Patrick King. She also recently appeared in Sundance sensation Happy Endings.

Courteney Cox has several films in the works, including Alpha Dog, starring Justin Timberlake and the remake of The Longest Yard, starring Adam Sandler. She'll also voice a character in the upcoming animated film The Barnyard.

David Schwimmer recently appeared in the Sundance pic Duane Hopwood, with Janeane Garafalo. Still ahead, he voices Melman the Giraffe in the upcoming CGI 'toon Madagascar and will star with Ben Affleck in an as-yet untitled project set in the world of high stakes poker. Schwimmer will also star in the comedy Run, Fat Boy, Run, expected to hit theaters next year.

Finally, Matt LeBlanc stars in Friends spinoff Joey, in which he continues to play the sandwich-loving aspiring actor he made a fan favorite in the original series.