‘Friends’ Fans Are Concerned for Matthew Perry After He Appears to Slur His Words in Reunion Trailer

Friends fans finally got a glimpse of the long-awaited reunion special coming to HBO Max with a teaser trailer on Wednesday, and most were thrilled to see the gang back together again. In ” “the one we’ve been waiting for,” the main cast members — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer — are clearly having a blast being back together on the familiar stage as they do a table read, ham their way through trivia, and reminisce about their time on the iconic sitcom.

However, some concerned fans online expressed their concern over Perry, who becomes visibly upset in the trailer. Additionally, the actor seemed to slur his words during an interview with People ahead of the episode. When answering a question about what souvenirs he took from the set, Perry said “I stole the cookie jar that had the clock on it,” pronouncing “stole” with a “sh” sound instead.

Fans took to Twitter to share their concerns over Perry’s health following the interview. “Just saw People interview and can’t believe how Matthew Perry looks like… seriously it breaks my heart,” one fan tweeted after watching the interview. “It pains me to see Matthew Perry like this, he just seems off, gazing at the void, speaking slowly,” pointed out another. “Hate to say it, but I’m sad and scared like hell for Matthew Perry,” a third fan wrote. “Damn, Matthew Perry in those PEOPLE Friends interviews.” Another tweeted their concern, making sure to center their comments in love. “Just watched [People] exclusive interview clip of Friends casts and the time hasn’t been kind,” they wrote. “I hope Matthew Perry is okay. Damn how much I love them.”

Perry has spoken candidly about his struggles with addiction in the past, which began when he got hooked on Vicodin after a jet skiing accident in 1997. “I was out of control and very unhealthy,” he admitted at the time. He also revealed that his addiction struggles were so severe that there are large periods of time filming Friends that he doesn’t remember at all due to alcoholism. “I don’t remember three years of it,” he admitted on BBC Radio 2 in 2016. “Somewhere between Seasons 3 and 6 … I was a little out of it.” Perry has expressed his gratitude for his castmates’ support in the past, particularly Courteney Cox. Fans are clearly worried, but hopefully it was just an off-day for the beloved actor.