‘Friends’ Star Matthew Perry Backtracks Keanu Reeves Diss In His Book

matthew perry and keanu reeves

Getty Image


Back in October 2022, we brought you the story of Matthew Perry’s memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing including a bizarre diss against Keanu Reeves that almost sounded as if he was wishing death upon the beloved action movie icon.

“Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?” Perry wrote in his memoir, which was released on November 1, 2022.

The excerpt from Perry’s memoir immediately went viral, causing the 53-year-old former sitcom star to wisely walk his comments back.

“I’m actually a big fan of Keanu. I just chose a random name, my mistake. I apologize. I should have used my own name instead,” Perry said in a statement at the time.

Now, Perry has not only apologized for his comments about Reeves but he’s also promising to remove the line from future prints of his book, which instantly became a No. 1 best seller when it was released.

Appearing at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books over the weekend, Perry took his contrition a step further by acknowledging that it was a “stupid” and “mean” thing to do and that he only used Reeves’ name because they live on the same street. Perry also added that future prints will not have his name in the text.

“I said a stupid thing. It was a mean thing to do,” Perry said, according to Variety. “I pulled his name because I live on the same street. I’ve apologized publicly to him. Any future versions of the book will not have his name in it.”

While the 53-year-old Perry may be selling stories from his past these days, Reeves remains as relevant as ever as the 58-year-old recently starred in John Wick: Chapter 4, which has grossed over $350 million at the global box office. He’s also recently signed on to star in films from Jonah Hill and Aziz Ansari.

RELATED: ‘John Wick’ Director Addresses Franchise’s Future Following Shock Ending Of ‘Chapter 4’

Eric Italiano BroBIble avatar
Eric Italiano is a NYC-based writer who spearheads BroBible's Pop Culture and Entertainment content. He covers topics such as Movies, TV, and Video Games, while interviewing actors, directors, and writers.