Monday, 4 Aug 2025
America Age
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Font ResizerAa
America AgeAmerica Age
Search
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
America Age > Blog > Entertainment > Matthew Perry pulled out of ‘Don’t Look Up’ after heart stopped beating for 5 minutes
Entertainment

Matthew Perry pulled out of ‘Don’t Look Up’ after heart stopped beating for 5 minutes

Enspirers | Editorial Board
Share
Matthew Perry pulled out of ‘Don’t Look Up’ after heart stopped beating for 5 minutes
SHARE
Matthew Perry, here in 2017, opens up about his addiction to alcohol and pills in new book.

Matthew Perry, here in 2017, opens up about his addiction to alcohol and pills in new book. (Photo: Reuters)

Matthew Perry‘s forthcoming memoir continues to make headlines as the Friends alum opens up about his crippling addiction to alcohol and opioids for the first time. In Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry reveals his heart stopped beating for five minutes while at a treatment center in Switzerland where he was still feeding his pill habit. It cost him a role in last year’s star-studded political satire Don’t Look Up.

Perry, who is 18 months sober, secretly went to the luxury rehab facility sometime in the last two years. According to an excerpt of his book obtained by Rolling Stone, the actor convinced doctors that he had severe stomach pain so they’d prescribe him drugs.

“In fact, I was OK,” he writes.

Perry was prescribed hydrocodone, but to ease the pain further, doctors decided to “put some kind of weird medical device in my back.” The night before the surgery, he stayed up taking pills. When he was administered the anesthesia drug propofol ahead of the operation, Perry’s heart stopped.

“I was given the shot at 11:00 a.m.,” he pens. “I woke up eleven hours later in a different hospital. Apparently, the propofol had stopped my heart. For five minutes. It wasn’t a heart attack — I didn’t flatline — but nothing had been beating. I was told that some beefy Swiss guy really didn’t want the guy from Friends dying on his table and did CPR on me for the full five minutes, beating and pounding my chest. If I hadn’t been on Friends, would he have stopped at three minutes? Did Friends save my life again?”

Perry adds: “He may have saved my life, but he also broke eight of my ribs.”

While the medical scare took a physical toll on Perry, it impacted his career, too. The actor was set to appear alongside Meryl Streep in Don’t Look Up. He managed to film one scene prior to his Switzerland rehab stint, but it didn’t make the movie’s final cut. After nearly dying on the operating table, he was in too much pain to return to the set of Adam McKay’s film. Perry says it would have been the “biggest movie I’d gotten ever.”

Switzerland wasn’t Perry’s only brush with death. In 2018, his colon burst from opioid misuse. At one point Perry was drinking vodka by the quart and taking 55 Vicodin a day. He also abused OxyContin and Xanax. The actor estimates he’s spent $9 million getting sober — which he was finally able to do ahead of the Friends reunion in April 2021.

MORE: Matthew Perry shares addiction story in new memoir: ‘I’m grateful to be alive’

Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article James Gunn, Peter Safran to Lead DC Studios for Warner Bros. Discovery James Gunn, Peter Safran to Lead DC Studios for Warner Bros. Discovery
Next Article Empire State Realty Trust Becomes America’s First Commercial Office REIT to Join Both the United Nations Global Compact and the Women’s Empowerment Principles Empire State Realty Trust Becomes America’s First Commercial Office REIT to Join Both the United Nations Global Compact and the Women’s Empowerment Principles

Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!

Our commitment to accuracy, impartiality, and delivering breaking news as it happens has earned us the trust of a vast audience. Stay ahead with real-time updates on the latest events, trends.
FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
InstagramFollow
LinkedInFollow
MediumFollow
QuoraFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad image

Popular Posts

Russia hits key infrastructure with missiles across Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian missiles hit Ukraine Thursday in the biggest wave of strikes…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Kremlin spokesperson says Putin would use nuclear weapons in face of ‘existential threat’

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks during a video emergency meeting of the…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Justin and Hailey Bieber Seize Sushi After Selena Gomez Drops Album

Justin and Hailey Bieber Discover Solace in Sushi ... After Selena Gomez Drops New Album…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Former CNN host Brooke Baldwin says media will soon stop covering Uvalde shooting: ‘Don’t let the cameras turn away’

Former CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin preemptively calls out the media for moving away from covering…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

You Might Also Like

President Trump Slams Charlamagne tha God as ‘Low IQ Sleazebag’ Over Epstein GOP Feedback
Entertainment

President Trump Slams Charlamagne tha God as ‘Low IQ Sleazebag’ Over Epstein GOP Feedback

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Chad Johnson Says Ja’Marr Chase Is Finest Receiver in Bengals Historical past
Entertainment

Chad Johnson Says Ja’Marr Chase Is Finest Receiver in Bengals Historical past

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Pop Tradition LEGO: From Mario Kart to Star Wars
Entertainment

Pop Tradition LEGO: From Mario Kart to Star Wars

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Bobby Valentino Events With Ray J on TMZ After Darkish Tour
Entertainment

Bobby Valentino Events With Ray J on TMZ After Darkish Tour

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
America Age
Facebook Twitter Youtube

About US


America Age: Your instant connection to breaking stories and live updates. Stay informed with our real-time coverage across politics, tech, entertainment, and more. Your reliable source for 24/7 news.

Company
  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement
Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability
Terms of Use
  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?