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John Mulaney 'Really Identified' With Matthew Perry After His Death: 'Thinking About Him A Lot'

Home / News / John Mulaney 'Really Identified' With Matthew Perry After His Death: 'Thinking About Him A Lot'

By Afouda Bamidele on November 28, 2023 at 3:24 AM EST

John Mulaney felt a connection with the late Matthew Perry, even though they didn't know each other while the "Friends" star was alive.

The stand-up comedian recently commented on Perry's passing and his struggle with substance addiction, something Mulaney - who went to rehab in 2020 - knows quite a lot about.

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John Mulaney Thinks About Matthew Perry 'A Lot'

Mulaney, in a recent interview, addressed Perry's battle with addiction while discussing his Netflix comedy special, "Baby J." In the award-winning special, the "Big Mouth" star examined his 2020 drug relapse and the intervention from friends that convinced him to go to rehab.

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The comedian confessed to Variety that although he didn't know Perry personally, he was affected by the late actor's addiction battle, as told in his memoir "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing."

"Addiction is just a disaster. Life is like a wobbly table at a restaurant and you pile all this s--- on it, and it gets wobblier and wobblier and more unstable," Mulaney declared. "Then drugs just kick the f---ing legs out from under the table. I really identified with his story. I’m thinking about him a lot."

While he was alive, Perry was very open about his battle with drug and alcohol addiction, which began while he was on "Friends" playing the role of Chandler Bing. The "Fools Rush In" actor passed on October 28 after he was found drowned in his Jacuzzi in his Los Angeles home.

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No illicit drugs were found at the scene of his death. However, authorities discovered prescription anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications. In addition to the anti-anxiety and anti-depressant meds, police also found a prescription COPD drug — a medication for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, usually used for people with emphysema or chronic bronchitis.

Perry was laid to rest on November 3 at at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, and an autopsy was performed to determine the cause of death. As seen in his death certificate obtained by The Blast, Perry’s official cause of death is being deferred pending further investigation and toxicology reports.

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Per reports, days after his funeral, Perry's toxicology was completed, but authorities are looking for more information. According to the former chief medical examiner of New York City, Dr. Michael Baden, "They've got pretty much 99% of what they're going to get at this point as far as information goes, and they can release it now, or they can wait for a couple more weeks because they're looking for some unknown drug."

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Dr Baden continued: "They might be doing microscopic slides, but it's now about almost two weeks, so the toxicology should be finished. I imagine what they’re doing right now is discussing the findings with the prosecutor and the family, and that in good time, it will be when they should release the findings."

Before his death, Perry claimed to be sober, and sources close to the late actor confirmed his sobriety after his passing. However, his ex-girlfriend Kayti Edwards alleged that the beloved actor might have relapsed just weeks before his death.

She said in an interview with The Sun: "I don't believe he just drowned in his Jacuzzi, that doesn't sound right. I know Matthew and I know that he wouldn't have just drowned. I think he might have taken pills in the week leading up to this."

She continued, "They said there were no prescription painkillers at the scene, which doesn't surprise me, because he didn't leave drugs lying around. He was paranoid and would take them all, so there wasn't any evidence, and then go out for more when he was ready to."

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John Mulaney Had An 'Intervention' Because Of 'Bad' Drug Problem

During his Netflix special, Mulaney, who shares a son with actress Olivia Munn, spoke candidly about his time in rehab and the pivotal intervention by his well-known friends — such as Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen, Nick Kroll, and others — that ultimately led to the turning point.

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"Let me just call this out now; I don't mean to be weird. It was a star-studded intervention. It was, like, a good group. As mad as I was when I walked in there, I was like, this is a good lineup; this is flattering in its way," he told the audience.

The "Puss In Boots" star admitted that he initially felt angry and betrayed by his closest friends, who organized the intervention to help him confront his addiction issues. However, upon reflection, he began feeling gratitude.

"Getting to do this show and standing here, listen, I am grateful to everyone at my intervention. They intervened. They confronted me, and they saved my life," he declared.

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