Matthew Perry is apologizing for making a dig at Keanu Reeves in his memoir.
During an appearance at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Saturday, the “Friends” actor revealed that future editions of his debut memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” will no longer include a previous reference to Reeves, according to the Los Angeles Times and Variety. The festival’s official Twitter account also shared the LA Times story.
In the book, Perry wrote Reeves “still walks among us” while his former co-stars River Phoenix, from “A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon,” and Chris Farley, “Almost Heroes,” both died at a young age. Perry’s execution was met with backlash.
“I said a stupid thing,” Perry told Matt Brennan, deputy editor for arts and entertainment at the LA Times, at the festival. “It was a mean thing to do.”
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“River was a beautiful man, inside and out – too beautiful for this world, it turned out. It always seems to be the really talented guys who go down,” read Perry’s full quote. “Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?”
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Perry and Reeves for comment.
Perry said while he has yet to make amends with Reeves in person, he would seize the opportunity. “If I run into the guy, I’ll apologize,” he told Brennan.
“I pulled his name because I live on the same street,” Perry said. “I’ve apologized publicly to him. Any future versions of the book will not have his name in it.”
This isn’t the first time Perry has expressed regret at including Reeves’ name in his book. Perry also apologized for the reference in a statement to People magazine last October.
“I’m actually a big fan of Keanu. I just chose a random name, my mistake,” Perry said at the time. “I apologize. I should have used my own name instead.”
Released in November 2022, Perry’s memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing” chronicles the actor’s journey with fame and details his battles with alcohol and drugs, which led to frequent hospital visits and trips to rehab.
Perry tells his personal story in a heartfelt yet hilarious manner, offering a mix of humorous, insider moments in the spotlight (like hitting Chevy Chase in the groin during a tennis match) and painful revelations about an addiction recovery that took decades.
“There is light in the darkness,” Perry wrote in the book’s prologue. “You just have to look hard enough to find it.”
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Contributing: Jenna Ryu, USA TODAY
