Matthew Perry Recovering From Gastrointestinal Perforation Repair Surgery

Matthew Perry reportedly underwent emergency surgery to deal with a gastrointestinal perforation.

Perry’s reps spoke to reporters from Us Weekly, confirming that he had been hospitalized for the condition. They did not specify when, only revealing that it had been done in a Los Angeles hospital.

“Matthew Perry recently underwent surgery in a Los Angeles hospital to repair a gastrointestinal perforation,” the rep said. “He is grateful for the concern and asks for continued privacy as he heals.”

Perry’s health has been a public concern for many years. During his time playing Chandler Bing on NBC‘s Friends, his weight fluctuated wildly, which fans took as an indicator of his on-and-off battle with addiction.

“I’m an award-winning alcoholic,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015. “You can’t have a drug problem for 30 years and then expect to have it be solved in 28 days,” adding, “Getting sober is a really hard thing to do.”

It is unclear whether the gastrointestinal perforation had anything to do with his years of addiction. The condition can reportedly result from a gunshot or knife wound, as well as issues like Crohn’s disease, appendicitis, diverticulitis and ulcerative colitis.

“When I was in big trouble, it was so public because I was on a TV show that 30 million people were watching,” he said later. “The fact that I [am] on TV makes people listen a little bit more, so I take advantage of that from time to time.”

That included opening his own home as an addiction recovery center for a time. He briefly converted his house in Malibu into The Perry House, a sober-living facility.

“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life and a lot of wonderful accolades,” he explained at the time. “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.’”

Unfortunately, he was forced to sell the property later that same year. Perry’s own sobriety has been called into question in the last year. In November, his ex-girlfriend adult film star Maddy O’Reilly leaked a few of his text messages to The Daily Mail, revealing his quest to “purchase some pills.”

Perry was hooked on Vicodin and other opiates for several years. He had two trips to rehab — one in 1997 and the other in 2001. Both were during his tenure on Friends.