Matthew Perry: ‘Friends’ Chandler Was Given a 2% Chance of Living  

The Friends star revealed his health adventure and his battle with substances

Matthew Perry, known to all as “Chandler Bing” from the legendary sitcom “Friends” , talked about the most difficult period of his life , in a new interview with People Magazine. 

Perry opened up about his 2018 health adventure that nearly cost him his life , as well as his addictions to alcohol and opioids. On the occasion of the release of his book, which will be released in November, the 53-year-old actor opens up and sheds light, saying that ” he was in a coma for two weeks and remained in the hospital for five months “. 

He had suffered a ruptured colon from excessive drug and alcohol use, to the point where he had to use a colostomy bag for another nine months, according to the People article. 

“The doctors told my family I had a 2% chance of living,” Perry reveals of his first hospital admission.

” They put me on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for the heart and lungs. And that was my last hope, all or nothing. Nobody survives that.” Perry says. 

He also recalled the time during the 10 seasons of “Friends” that he was taking up to 55 Vicodin a day and had lost so much weight that he had reached 58 pounds. 

“I didn’t know how to stop ,” Perry said. “If the police came to my house and said, ‘If you drink tonight, we’re going to jail,’ I’d start packing. I couldn’t stop because the disease and addiction is progressive. So it just gets worse as you’re growing up.”

Perry’s addiction to various pills led to 14 surgeries on his stomach, with him confessing: “That’s my many reminders to stay sober. All I have to do is look down there .” 

He also stated the following: ” I wanted to speak when I now felt sure of myself. I had to wait until I was completely independent and away from the ‘disease’ of alcoholism to write everything. I was interested in my own experiences to help other people too.”