Almost three years after his death at age 54 on October 28, 2023, the life of Matthew Perry returns to the public spotlight in a three-part Netflix docuseries titled The One About Matthew Perry. Directed by Mary Robertson, the project moves away from the true-crime narrative of the criminal trial that followed his fatal ketamine overdose. Instead, it centers on home archives, personal interviews, and the recollections of his younger half-sister, Mia Perry Bowick, who speaks on camera about her brother’s complex history. Robertson traces Perry’s life from his upbringing as a child of divorce to a hopeful comedic actor landing a starring role on one of the biggest television shows of all time. The series also features interviews with his close friend, industry pal Kevin Pollak.
Mia Perry Bowick Recalls the Funeral and the Friends Cast
She notes that she had not seen her brother’s television co-stars in roughly 20 years when they arrived together for the service. According to Bowick, Jennifer Aniston was the first to approach her with a hug. Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer followed.
Reports indicated that the five surviving Friends stars had been approached by the production. They chose not to participate.
Aniston found the loss too painful to revisit. Other relatives who declined to participate included his stepfather, Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison.
The five actors walked up to the casket holding hands. They stood around it crying.
Amid the grief, Bowick also recalls an unexpected moment of levity. She felt her brother’s presence right behind her shoulder.
He whispered a characteristic joke. It caused her to break into laughter.
He showed up right behind my right shoulder and goes, ‘How f–ked up is this?’
Mia Perry Bowick
Millions Spent on Addiction Recovery While Sitcom Success Masks Private Struggles
The documentary explores the immense financial and emotional toll of Perry’s decades-long battle with alcohol and prescription drug addiction. Bowick is a licensed psychotherapist. She notes she pursued her career path partly to understand her brother’s addiction. Her brother spent more than $7 million pursuing recovery. That figure demonstrates the seriousness with which he approached his disease.
The series revisits the sharp contrast between Perry’s on-screen milestones and his private reality. Millions of viewers celebrated when his character, Chandler Bing, married Courteney Cox’s character, Monica Geller, in the season-seven finale in 2001.
Behind the scenes, Perry was driven straight back to a treatment center. A sober technician helmed the pickup truck.
He recalled in his memoir how fluctuating weight throughout the sitcom reflected his addictions. Carrying weight indicated alcohol.
Matthew Perry’s sister Mia Perry Bowick says it was hard to watch her brother tie the knot on screen during Monica and Chandler’s wedding on ‘Friends.’ https://t.co/Q49kbiLORj
Being skinny indicated pills. During filming, he once recalled wearing the exact same clothes in two episodes.
He lost nearly 23 kilograms (50 pounds) between seasons. He entered rehab again during the seventh season.
He then called creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane to report he was clean.
Bowick shares that her brother deeply longed for a domestic life of his own. When we saw that wedding, we all knew that he had wanted that in life; he wanted a partner, and he wanted children,
she says in the series.
His past romances included relationships with Julia Roberts and Lizzy Caplan. He dated Caplan between 2006 and 2012.
He also had a romantic connection with Gwyneth Paltrow during the 1990s. His 2020 engagement to literary manager Molly Hurwitz ended the following year.
Mia Perry Bowick, psychotherapist and sister of late 'Friends' star Matthew Perry, has shared a never-seen-before photo with Matthew and expressed her gratitude for being part of the Netflix documentary, 'The One About Matthew Perry', ahead of its release on October 27. pic.twitter.com/Q699iD9Stx
Federal Investigation Leads to Sentences in Ketamine Death Case
Perry’s passing remains tied to a federal criminal investigation. Prosecutors noted he had been receiving legitimate ketamine treatment for depression.
He sought additional supplies outside that treatment. People involved included physician Salvador Plasencia, middleman Erik Fleming, and dealer Jasveen Sangha.
Matthew Perry’s sister, Mia Perry Bowick, says his family attended Monica and Chandler’s wedding on ‘Friends,’ wondering if this was as close as they’d ever get to seeing Perry married for real. https://t.co/JT05RReyDW
Five individuals were charged in connection with his death. He died from the acute effects of ketamine and accidental drowning at his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.
Jasveen Sangha was dubbed the Ketamine Queen. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison.