Matthew Perry allegedly lied about sobriety, assaulted best friend when confronted about it

The Friends star lied about his sobriety for years and had a history of being abusive, according to shock new allegations by multiple sources.

Matthew Perry died in late October. Picture: Alex B. Huckle/Getty Images

Matthew Perry had many skeletons in his closet prior to his untimely death, according to a new report.

The Friends star lied about his sobriety for years and had a history of being abusive, three anonymous sources claimed to Us Weekly in a bombshell cover story published on Wednesday.

“He was verbally, emotionally and physically abusive,” one insider alleged, calling Perry a “manipulative” person, reports Page Six.

“All he knew how to do was cause pain and play the victim,” the source further claimed.

A second insider, however, denied to the magazine that the Fools Rush In star was a “horrible human being” but said he was “warped” by his addiction.

Perry estimated in October 2022 that he had spent US$9 million (A$13.4 million) trying to get sober, adding that he had been clean of all substances for 18 months at that point.

After his death at age 54 in October 2023, police found multiple prescription drugs, including antidepressants, anti-anxiety and COPD medications in his home, but no illegal substances were on the premises.

Perry was “warped” by his addiction, sources claim. Picture: Alex B. Huckle/Getty Images

Initial tests found that Perry did not have fentanyl or meth in his system when he died in his hot tub, and the final autopsy report attributed his cause of death to the “acute effects of ketamine,” a drug used to treat depression.

A source told Us Weekly that people in the actor’s inner circle allegedly had suspicions about how he really died.

“Everybody close to Matthew was saying he died from an overdose,” the insider claimed, alleging that Perry’s pals thought he had never properly dealt with his mental health issues and would “isolate” himself.

Page Six has reached out to Perry’s reps and lawyer for comment but did not immediately hear back.

The first source claimed the sitcom star’s addiction struggles spiralled so out of control that he “crashed his Aston Martin many times while high.”

“He just damaged the car and no one was hurt, [but] he did not consider [that] he could have killed someone,” the insider alleged.

There are paparazzi photos of Perry driving around in the luxe vehicle, but no coverage of any accidents.

Page Six also reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for comment, but it was unable to verify the claims due to insufficient information on the alleged incidents and where they may have taken place.

The new report also detailed how much Perry’s struggles impacted his relationships, with one source claiming to Us Weekly that the Whole Nine Yards star once got into a physical confrontation with addiction expert Morgan Moses, who was a close friend.

“He threw [Moses] into a wall and threw something at her and shoved her onto a bed,” the insider claimed of the alleged March 2022 incident.

The actor was beloved for his starring role in Friends. Picture: Warner Bros. / Courtesy: Everett Collection

The source also claimed Perry was known to punch walls, flip tables and throw things during angry outbursts.

After the reported dispute with Moses, Perry allegedly told her, “‘If I wanted to hurt you, I would have,’” per the source.

A second insider, who also claimed to have knowledge of the alleged fight, claimed Perry expressed some remorse over what had occurred and was “mortified.”

“He was panicking because the person who was always by his side had left him,” the source said.

The first insider added, “Morgan was his best friend, and he burned that to the ground. He pushed her to her absolute breaking point. … He would get p***ed about little things and then flip the narrative about what really happened to make himself the victim.”

Page Six has reached out to Moses but did not immediately hear back. She declined to give Us Weekly a comment.

The first source claimed Moses, who was reportedly Perry’s “live-in sober companion,” was not the only person to experience the 17 Again star’s allegedly violent behaviour.

The insider alleged that a woman in her early 20s threatened to sue Perry in 2020 for emotional and psychological abuse after he “got her addicted to drugs, including oxycodone and painkillers.”

Page Six was unable to verify the claims and is not aware of the identity of the ex.

However, a third source who allegedly knew the woman claimed to Us Weekly that substance abuse played a big role in the pair’s split.

“The age difference of someone in their early 20s and late 40s and early 50s — there’s a power play in that,” the source said. “I think he took a lot of advantage of her because he got her hooked on drugs.”

He spoke openly about his past demons, but claimed that he was sober prior to his death. Picture: Gabriel Bouys/AFP

That insider reportedly confirmed the legal threats the ex made, claiming, “She settled, [and] there was an NDA. I think it was a way for her not [to be able to] share her experiences with him.”

According to the second source, Perry leveraged his relationships with women to help him obtain drugs.

“He would do the FaceTime thing and get to know them. Then it would be like, ‘Let’s hang out,’ and he would say [to come to his house],” the source claimed.

“He wasn’t out in public anymore. That’s how he snuck things past people.”

Despite the allegations, Perry’s longtime friend and co-star Jennifer Aniston painted a very different picture of how the actor was doing in the days before his death.

The Morning Wars star, 54, told Variety in December, “I was literally texting with him that morning, funny Matty. He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling. He was happy.”

A woman named Athenna Crosby, who was seen dining with the actor a day before he died, also repeatedly said he was in good spirits and claimed he had not relapsed.

The model, 25, told Fox News Digital in November, “He was 100 per cent sober when he passed.”

She also noted of their interaction, which was snapped by a fellow diner, “He was extremely positive, sober, acting normal, spoke very well, did not give me any impression that he was under drugs or alcohol of any kind.”

This article originally appeared in Page Six and was reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Matthew Perry allegedly lied about sobriety, assaulted best friend when confronted about it