‘The weirdest thing I did was on Sundays’: Matthew Perry took 55 Vicodin pills a day, faked MRIs and stole pills from open houses

October 28 will mark the third death anniversary of actor Matthew Perry, who died in 2023 at the age of 54, after being found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. His autopsy report cited the acute effects of ketamine as the primary cause of death. Perry, best known for playing Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom Friends, had spoken candidly about his struggles with addiction, rehabilitation and recovery. Long before his death, Perry had revealed the extent of his addiction, including how he sometimes resorted to stealing medication from strangers' homes.

In his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, the actor detailed his decades-long battle with substance abuse. He also discussed his addiction during a 2022 interview with Diane Sawyer, making startling revelations about his drug use.

Matthew Perry revealed how he obtained 55 Vicodin pills a day

During the interview, Sawyer asked Perry how he managed to obtain as many as 55 Vicodin pills a day. "I did all sorts of things. Fake migraines, fake MRIs... But the weirdest thing I did was on Sundays," Perry replied.


When Sawyer asked him what he did on Sundays, the actor described how he would visit real estate open houses to steal prescription medication.

"I would go to real estate open houses. I’d walk into strangers' bathrooms, open their medicine cabinets, and steal their pills. And they never reported it because they thought: 'There's no way Chandler Bing stole from us,'" he said.

The revelation offered a glimpse into how far Perry's addiction had taken him, even as he remained one of the most recognisable faces on American television.

Matthew Perry's sister reveals he spent $7 million trying to get sober

Meanwhile, Netflix is set to release a new documentary about Matthew Perry, titled The One About Matthew Perry, on October 27, 2026, a day before the third anniversary of the Friends star's death. One of the documentary's most striking revelations comes from Perry's sister, Mia Perry Bowick, who says the actor spent $7 million trying to overcome his addiction. "That’s how seriously he took his disease," Bowick says in the documentary's trailer, offering a glimpse into the years Perry spent trying to get sober.

The documentary marks Bowick's first interview since her brother's death. She reflects on watching someone she loved struggle with addiction while retaining the warmth and humour that made him so memorable to those around him.

According to Netflix, the film features previously unheard testimony from Bowick, along with unreleased photographs and videos from the Perry family's private archive. She hopes the documentary will help audiences see her brother as a complete person, rather than simply as Chandler Bing or someone who battled addiction.

"All great stories have comedy and tragedy in them, and that certainly was Matthew’s story," Bowick says in the trailer.

The documentary also features memories from people who knew Perry away from the cameras.

David Pressman, a longtime friend, describes himself as Perry's "buddy for 40 years." He also jokes that the actor "would definitely want everyone to talk about how great he was."

Jeff Strauss, a writer on Friends, is another contributor. He describes Perry as someone who "meant so much in so many ways."

Their accounts offer a perspective on Perry that goes beyond his television career. Through the recollections of family members, longtime friends and creative collaborators, the documentary aims to explore the person behind one of television's most recognisable characters.