Jennifer Aniston Reflects on Matthew Perry Death, Says ‘Friends’ Cast Hoped They’d “Never Get That Phone Call”

Jennifer Aniston is opening up more about losing her Friends co-star and friend Matthew Perry.

While appearing in Elle’s 2025 Women in Hollywood portfolio, the Morning Show star reflected on the “shocking” reality of learning Perry had died. Perry died in 2023 at age 54 from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine with drowning a contributing factor.

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“It was so alarming and shocking, yet not shocking,” Aniston said.

She went on to say how she and the rest of her Friends cast — including Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer — always said, “I hope I never get that phone call.”

“We miss him. He’s missed. He was a brilliant human being and an extraordinary talent, loved deeply, and wanted happiness more than anything. It makes me sad that he never really achieved that, because he deserved it,” she added.

Aniston has previously shared that the Friends cast tried to help Perry over the years during his struggles with addiction, which dated back to his early years on the hit sitcom that aired from 1994 to 2004.

During an interview with Vanity Fair this summer, the actress said, “We did everything we could when we could. But it almost felt like we’d been mourning Matthew for a long time because his battle with that disease was a really hard one for him to fight. As hard as it was for all of us and for the fans, there’s a part of me that thinks this is better.”

Following his death, Aniston was among those who shared a touching tribute Perry writing, “Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before…He was such a part of our DNA. We were always the 6 of us. This was a chosen family that forever changed the course of who we were and what our path was going to be.”

Elsewhere in Aniston’s Elle interview, she also discussed her friend Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show being briefly suspended following his comments about Charlie Kirk’ assassination (“Unthinkable things are happening. It’s very dangerous and very unfortunate,” she said) and going public with her hypnotist boyfriend, Jim Curtis, a transformational coach.

“Hypnotism is one of the many things that he does,” she said of Curtis. “He’s quite extraordinary, and helps many, many people. He’s very special, very normal, and very kind, and wants to help people heal, move through their trauma and stagnation into clarity. It’s a beautiful thing to commit your life to.”

When speaking about the current season of The Morning Show recently with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Charlotte Stoudt noted the widespread attention Aniston received when she announced her new relationship on Instagram. “It was a story on CNN,” she says with a laugh. “I’m so happy for her, absolutely.”

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