Lisa Kudrow gets emotional rewatching ‘Friends’, calls Matthew Perry ‘genius’
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Actress Lisa Kudrow, known worldwide for playing Phoebe Buffay in the sitcom 'Friends,' has spoken about only fully recognizing the show’s brilliance after the death co-star Matthew Perry.
The actress reflected on how revisiting the show years later felt and spoke about grief, memory, and its lasting impact, which reshaped her perspective on its legacy. Perry was found unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his home, with an autopsy later confirming that he had suffered from the “acute effects of ketamine,” along with accidental drowning.
Lisa Kudrow gets emotional rewatching ‘Friends’ after Matthew Perry’s death
Kudrow said she did not immediately appreciate the quality of the sitcom while working on it, instead focusing on her own performance. She explained, “Before, I only saw what I did wrong or could have done better. But for the first time I truly appreciated just how great it was.”
After Perry’s death, she rewatched the sitcom and gained a new understanding of the ensemble’s performances. She described her own work as “ok,” while praising her co-stars Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox as “amazing.”
She also recalled that co-stars David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc made her laugh “so hard,” while describing Perry as “beyond us all” and a “genius.”
Kudrow shared in an interview with The Times that his passing deeply affected her and changed how she views their shared work. The two had developed a close friendship during the show’s original run from 1994 to 2004.
She also contributed the foreword to Perry’s memoir, 'Friends, Lovers and the Terrible Big Thing,' in which she acknowledged she had not fully understood the extent of his struggles with addiction at the time. Kudrow admitted that revisiting the show after his death was emotionally difficult, but it helped her recognize the sitcom’s enduring success.
Matthew Perry death investigation and ketamine case explained
Perry’s death was later linked to ketamine overdose, prompting legal proceedings involving multiple individuals. A Los Angeles woman, referred to as the “Ketamine Queen” Jasveen Sangha, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for supplying the drugs that led to his death.
Prosecutors stated that when authorities searched Sangha’s residence in March 2024, they found numerous ketamine vials along with methamphetamine and Xanax, describing the home as a “drug-selling emporium.”
Sangha became the fifth defendant in the case to accept a plea agreement and acknowledge responsibility. Others charged included doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, Perry’s assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, and acquaintance Erik Fleming.
Before sentencing, Perry’s stepmother Debbie Perry urged the court to impose the maximum punishment, calling for a sentence that would prevent harm to other families.
