Matthew Perry Apologizes to Keanu Reeves Over Apparent Memoir Diss

After Matthew Perry took apparent digs at Keanu Reeves in excerpts released from his upcoming memoir, the Friends alum has issued an apology: "I'm actually a big fan of Keanu."

By Kisha Forde Oct 27, 2022 11:50 AMTags
Watch: Matthew Perry Apologizes to Keanu Reeves After Memoir Diss

The one where Matthew Perry attempts to make amends.
 
After an excerpt from his forthcoming memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, was released—in which Perry questioned why "Keanu Reeves still walks among us" as he reflected on a few deaths including River Phoenix and Heath Ledger—the Friends star has issued an apology.
 
"I'm actually a big fan of Keanu," the actor told People in an Oct. 26 statement. "I just chose a random name, my mistake. I apologize. I should have used my own name instead."
 
In Perry's personal memoir, in which he shares details of his addiction battle, the actor first mentioned the John Wick star when reflecting on the legacy of Phoenix. (Phoenix, who co-starred with Perry in the film, A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, died of a drug overdose in 1993).
 
"River was a beautiful man, inside and out—too beautiful for this world, it turned out," a section of his memoir reads. "It always seems to be the really talented guys who go down. Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?"

read
Matthew Perry Recalls Exiting Don’t Look Up After His Heart Stopped for 5 Minutes

"River was a better actor than me; I was funnier," he continued. "But I certainly held my own in our scenes—no small feat, when I look back decades later."
 
Elsewhere, Perry also name-dropped Reeves as he recalled his own reaction to the death of Saturday Night Live star Chris Farley, who passed away in 1997.

Getty Images/ GC Images

"His disease had progressed faster than mine had. (Plus, I had a healthy fear of the word ‘heroin,' a fear we did not share)," he wrote. "I punched a hole through Jennifer Aniston's dressing room wall when I found out. Keanu Reeves walks among us. I had to promote ‘Almost Heroes' two weeks after he died; I found myself publicly discussing his death from drugs and alcohol. I was high the entire time."

E! News has reached out to Reeves' rep for comment.
 
Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing will be released on Nov. 1.

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App