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Matthew Perry says changes are coming to his memoir after Keanu Reeves comments

The “Friends” actor said his comments about Reeves will be scrapped in future editions.

Actor Matthew Perry says his jab at Keanu Reeves in his memoir was "a mean thing to do." (Jelani Rice/FTWP)
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New editions of actor Matthew Perry’s memoir may look a little different.

The “Friends” actor said at a Los Angeles Times Festival of Books event over the weekend that future versions of his memoir will not include controversial comments he wrote about fellow actor Keanu Reeves.

“I said a stupid thing. It was a mean thing to do,” Perry said at an event at the USC’s Board Auditorium on Saturday afternoon, per the Los Angeles Times.

“I pulled his name because I live on the same street,” Perry said. “I’ve apologized publicly to him. Any future versions of the book will not have his name in it.”

In his memoir, titled “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” Perry expressed frustration with Reeves, writing that the “John Wick” actor “still walks among us” even though other celebrities, such as River Phoenix, died at a young age from drug overdoses.

“River was a beautiful man, inside and out — too beautiful for this world, it turned out. It always seems to be the really talented guys who go down,” Perry wrote, according to CNN. “Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?”

Several celebrities, including Rachel Zegler and Lynda Carter, defended Reeves once those comments became public. Reeves has not commented publicly.

Perry originally apologized during the promotional run of his book in October 2022, saying he “realized that wasn’t a nice thing to do.”

“I should have used my name. I just wasn’t thinking,” he said.

At the L.A. Times event on Saturday, Perry said that he hadn’t apologized to Reeves in person yet. “If I run into the guy, I’ll apologize. It was just stupid,” he said.

Representatives for Perry and Reeves did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Perry’s memoir made headlines late last year as he described his struggles with drug use and addiction, including his 65 stints in rehab. He also detailed how his struggles with drug use impacted his time on “Friends,” which lasted 10 seasons. He described his spiraling journey on the set of the comedy show, as well as his experiences in the following years.

Perry said at the L.A. Times event that reading his own story was a hard experience for him.

“What a horrible life this guy has had,” he said of himself.

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