This Is How Matthew Perry Truly Utilized His “Friends” Wealth: Matthew Perry and his fellow cast members from the iconic ’90s series “Friends” stumbled upon a gold mine when they secured their roles on the beloved show. Capitalizing on the series’ immense popularity, Perry, alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Lisa Kudrow, collectively negotiated with NBC to ensure equal pay for all. Their efforts paid off handsomely, with each of them eventually earning a staggering $1 million per episode, a substantial leap from the initial $22,500 they received per episode when the series commenced. At the time of his unfortunate passing, Perry’s net worth stood at a considerable $120 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
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This Is How Matthew Perry Truly Utilized His “Friends” Wealth
While Perry engaged in various projects following “Friends,” a significant portion of his wealth was the direct result of his time on the show. Remarkably, each cast member continues to reap $20 million annually in residual income, as reported by USA Today. Perry himself humorously acknowledged this financial windfall during an interview with Andy Cohen when asked about still receiving “bountiful checks,” quipping, “Well, yesterday I bought Iowa.”
Despite his financial comfort, Perry was committed to allocating a substantial portion of his fortune to battling addiction, both for his own recovery and to assist others grappling with similar struggles. The actor openly admitted to expending millions on treatments and surgeries, as well as establishing and managing a sober living facility.
Matthew Perry’s Multi-Million Dollar Battle Against Addiction
Matthew Perry stood out as one of the few actors who candidly shared his journey of triumph over substance abuse. In his memoir titled “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” released a year prior to his untimely demise, Perry laid bare his experiences of repeatedly entering and exiting rehab, even in the midst of filming “Friends.” He revealed that he had expended approximately $7 million in his quest for sobriety, candidly noting, “I’ve been in a mental institution, gone to therapy twice a week for thirty years, been to death’s door.”
Furthermore, Perry disclosed a pivotal moment in 2002 when he was so inebriated during the filming of the movie “Serving Sara” that he had to disburse over half a million dollars to rectify the situation. He recounted, “I needed to make real amends… so I recorded my slurred parts for the entire movie, which meant I looped the entire movie. Then I committed to doing the most press possible in the history of press, bending over backward to make things right.”
In a subsequent interview with The New York Times, Perry revised his estimate and revealed that he had likely spent a staggering $9 million on treatments. However, he emphasized in an interview with People that he would rather be penniless than endure the same turmoil again, stating, “The fact that I would trade it all to not have this disease is true. But I don’t belittle how fun the experience has been on ‘Friends.’ And the money was amazing. Just the creative experience of being on the show probably saved my life.”
Matthew Perry’s Real Estate Investments and Sober Living Facility
Beyond his dedication to personal recovery, Matthew Perry also channeled a significant portion of his wealth into real estate ventures. Shortly before his passing, Architectural Digest reported his purchase of a Hollywood Hills residence for approximately $5 million, marking his second property in Los Angeles, in addition to the $6 million home he owned in Pacific Palisades. Previously, he had owned a $35 million penthouse that was eventually sold to Rihanna.
One of his most notable real estate investments was a property in Malibu, which he transformed into a sober living facility named Perry House in 2013. Although he sold it two years later, he expressed his intent to relocate the facility elsewhere, explaining to The Hollywood Reporter at the time, “That was a Malibu beach house, and it was too expensive to run and the business didn’t really work. So we’re looking at smaller places in Santa Monica and Studio City. I’m keeping the business going because I like it; it’s a good way to help alcoholics.”
While it remains uncertain whether he had the opportunity to relocate the facility, Perry’s commitment to aiding those struggling with addiction never waned. Much of the reason behind his memoir was to instill hope in others, and he extended an open offer to assist those in need, stating, “There’s a way out. And if they have my phone number, I’d be more than happy to show them.”