Hank Azaria, that lovable goofball we all know and adore, decided to give a shout-out to his buddy Matthew Perry, the dude who made us laugh till our sides hurt.
So, you won’t believe it, but on a totally wild Saturday (October 28), our beloved Friend star, Matthew Perry, did the unthinkable and transformed into a swimming sensation, or so it seemed, ’cause he had this accidental rendezvous with a swimming pool at his LA pad, and it wasn’t a belly flop competition! Matthew left us all in disbelief at the ripe old age of 54.
The day after this hilariously soggy incident, the one and only Hank, who’s 59 but looks like he’s eternally stuck at 29, popped up with a video message that made us feel like we were at a comedy club.
According to Hank, Matthew was the OG pal he made when he first set foot in the wacky world of Los Angeles. He was 21, and Matthew, that sprightly teenager, was just 16. It’s like the start of a classic sitcom, right? These two became as tight as a pair of skinny jeans, more like brothers from another mother. They did everything together β they guzzled drinks like they were sipping soda pop, chortled until they snorted, and had each other’s backs when they were both struggling actors. Picture two dudes living the real-life version of “How I Met Your Mother” β it was that legendary!
Now, here’s where it gets juicy. Hank confessed that he really loved Matthew, but let’s be real, most of the people who were tight with him felt like they’d lost him to the clutches of booze and drugs ages ago. Matthew’s autobiography, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” was a rollercoaster of emotions that had Hank questioning his emotional stability. He claimed he had to put the book down eleven times because it hurt like a thousand paper cuts.
But there’s a plot twist. Hank, the evergreen dude he is, shared that he’s been sober for 17 years now. And guess who held his hand as he took the plunge into AA? Yep, you guessed it β Matthew Perry! Those two went to AA meetings together for an entire year. Matthew was like Yoda but with a cooler sense of humor. He was the Gandalf of sobriety, guiding Hank through the treacherous path to living a booze-free life.
Sadly, though, it’s like the universe played a cruel joke on us. Matthew couldn’t quite find that constant silver lining in his life. It’s a real tear-jerker, a snot-bubble-inducing sobfest, ’cause those who truly knew and loved him just wished he had stuck to the silver side of life more often.
But let’s lighten the mood, shall we? Matthew’s comedic skills were the stuff of legend. He lived to make people giggle, and boy, did he succeed! Every night, he’d casually toss out jokes left and right, like he was knitting a comedy sweater. A joke here, a joke there, and before you knew it, he’d knit them together into a crescendo of hilarity. Spending an evening with Matthew was like strapping yourself to a laughter rollercoaster. You’d start with a chuckle, and by the end, you’d be guffawing so hard that you’d snort your drink through your nose. Yes, he was that good!
As an actor, he was nothing short of brilliant. But the universe decided to play another one of its cruel tricks and cut short what could have been a spectacular career. The world missed out on the rest of Matthew’s incredible acting journey.
Oh, and in case you forgot, Hank and Matthew even shared some screen time on Friends, with Hank playing David, the lucky guy who caught the eye of Lisa Kudrow’s quirky character, Phoebe. So yeah, they were pals on and off the screen.