Bill Maher Rips Into Doctors And Rehab System For 'Killing' Matthew Perry Who Was 'A Good Guy'

Comedian Bill Maher has criticized the doctors involved in Matthew Perry's death, claiming they exploited his addiction by supplying him with dangerous amounts of ketamine.

Maher angrily accused the doctors of killing Perry and also blamed the rehab facility for getting the late star hooked on a different drug while seeking help for his addiction problem.

Bill Maher's comments came after one of the doctors involved in Matthew Perry's death pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine, facing up to 10 years in prison.

On Friday night's episode of "Real Time With Bill Maher," Maher targeted the doctors involved in Matthew Perry's death, stating, "Doctors killed Matthew Perry."

During his "New Rules" segment, the talk show host noted, "Matthew Perry asked his doctor, 'Is ketamine right for me?' And his licensed and trained legitimate doctor texted another doctor saying, 'I wonder how much this moron will pay… Let's find out.'"

Maher, who admitted that he and Perry "weren't super close," noted that the late actor was "enough of a friend, and enough of a good guy" to make him angry after learning about "all of the enablers" surrounding his tragic passing.

He further recounted that Perry's last stint in rehab "was at a pricey clinic in Switzerland, where, instead of weaning him off the drugs he was on, which is how we naively assume rehab works, they simply gave him a different drug."

"Which accomplished the goal, if the goal was getting Matthew Perry addicted to a new drug," the comedian added, per The Daily Beast.

While discussing the actor's tragic death, Maher also took aim at the "medical industrial complex," criticizing the rise of ketamine clinics in the U.S.

He explained: "It's what always happens with Western medicine, the insistence on pretending that their respectable drugs aren't the same as street drugs, but they are. One is paid by insurance and gets you into rehab. One isn't, and you go to jail."

Maher added: "But Oxy is heroin, Adderall is meth, and Ritalin is cocaine for kids."

Hours before Maher's show, one of the two physicians implicated in Perry's October 2023 death, Dr. Mark Chavez, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute the surgical anesthetic ketamine, making him the third individual to plead guilty following the "Friends" star's fatal overdose in 2023.

Chavez also agreed to relinquish his medical license. Meanwhile, the second doctor involved, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, maintains his innocence and is slated to appear in court on September 4.

In his plea agreement, Chavez admitted to obtaining ketamine through fraudulent means, including from his former clinic and a wholesale distributor, by submitting a fake prescription. He now faces a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Outside the courthouse, Chavez's lawyer, Matthew Binninger, expressed the doctor's deep remorse, stating, "He's incredibly remorseful. He's trying to do everything in his power to right the wrong that happened here. He didn't accept responsibility today, but only because it wasn't on the calendar."

Binninger emphasized Chavez's cooperation with the ongoing investigation, adding: "He's doing everything in his power to cooperate and help with this situation."

The attorney also acknowledged the tragedy of Perry's death, noting that the actor was "universally beloved, and it's a shame what happened."

On October 28, Perry was found face down in his hot tub. However, the investigation into his death has shown that there were several shocking incidents that led up to the actor's demise.

According to Page Six, Perry's assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, claimed that he found the late actor "unconscious at his residence on at least two occasions" before he died.

Iwamasa was also the one who had administered the fatal shot of ketamine that killed Perry.

He admitted that on the day of the "Friends" star's death, he injected him around 8:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., but that Perry asked him to prepare his hot tub and "shoot [him] up with a big one" just about 40 minutes later.

The former assistant then went on an errand after administering the third shot that day, only to return to the actor's lifeless body.

Iwamasa pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, stating in his plea agreement that he injected the late actor with "significant quantities of ketamine," totaling around "6-8 shots per day," in the days leading up to his death.

The criminal charges issued to multiple individuals in connection with Perry's death have also triggered a fresh wave of sorrow for his real friends.

A source told People Magazine that the charges "brought back a lot of feelings" for the actor's closest pals, especially his co-stars from "Friends."

"Matthew did have true friends that loved and cared about him," the source said. "They would have all tried to help him if he'd reached out. It makes them sad that he was surrounded by enablers."