Lisa Kudrow, best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay on the hit sitcom Friends, has revealed that she only fully appreciated the show's greatness after the death of her co-star Matthew Perry. The 62-year-old actress spoke about how the success of the programme truly hit her nearly a decade after it ended, following Perry's tragic passing in October 2023 at the age of 54.
A New Perspective After Loss
Speaking to The Times, Kudrow explained that she rewatched Friends after Perry's death and saw it in a completely new light. '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,' she said. 'I felt I did OK, but Jennifer and Courteney? Amazing. David and Matt? They had me laughing so hard. And then Matthew - he was just beyond us all.'
Kudrow described Perry as 'a genius' and noted that their time working together on the show from 1994 to 2004 created an irreplaceable bond. She wrote the foreword to his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Terrible Big Thing, admitting she had not fully grasped the depth of his struggles with addiction until after his death.
The Impact of Perry's Death
Perry, who also appeared in Ally McBeal, The West Wing, and numerous films, had long battled issues with alcohol, opioids, cocaine, and ketamine. His death was ruled an accident due to the acute effects of ketamine. In the wake of his passing, Kudrow said rewatching Friends became particularly painful, yet it also allowed her to recognise the show's enduring success and the joy it brought to millions.
'Because there was a genius at work. And whatever any of us do in the future, we will never experience something like that again,' she added.
Sentencing of the 'Ketamine Queen'
Kudrow's comments came after the sentencing of Jasveen Sangha, a Los Angeles woman dubbed the 'Ketamine Queen' for selling Perry the drugs that contributed to his death. Sangha was sentenced to 15 years in prison earlier this month. During a raid on her home in March 2024, authorities found dozens of ketamine vials, along with methamphetamine, cocaine, and Xanax, which prosecutors described as a 'drug-selling emporium.'
Perry's stepmother, Debbie Perry, had called for the harshest possible sentence, stating, 'Please give this heartless woman the maximum prison sentence so she won't be able to hurt other families like ours.' Sangha is the fifth defendant in the case to take a plea deal and admit guilt. Others charged include doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, Perry's assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, and acquaintance Erik Fleming.
