Matthew Perry reveals rehab workers tried to STOP him leaving when his colon exploded

Matthew Perry has revealed the counsellors at rehab clinic tried to stop him from going to hospital when his colon exploded because they thought it was a bid to get drugs.

The 53-year-old was given just a two percent chance of survival after an opioid addiction caused his colon to burst when he was aged 49, leaving him in a coma for two weeks and spending months in hospital.

Prior to his admittance, he was staying at a sober house alongside his assistant, who could see he was in serious pain and got him to hospital despite the rehab staff insisting it was just ‘drug-seeking behavior’.

He added his problems didn’t stop after he was admitted, as the hospital he was staying in didn’t have the necessary equipment to treat him, but neighboring clinics refused to admit him because of his level of fame.

It comes after the actor revealed he has spent around $9million trying to get sober and recently celebrated 18 months of sobriety.

He also told how Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston confronted him about his drinking and revealed she and the rest of the cast ”know you’re drinking.”

But he said she was a constant source of support during his recovery, adding: ‘[Aniston] was the one that reached out the most,’ he revealed. ‘I’m really grateful to her for that.’ 

Life-threatening: The star, 53, was given just a two percent chance of survival in 2019 after an opioid addiction caused his colon to burst when he was aged 49 (pictured in 2019) 

Support: He also shared Aniston’s continued support during his recovery: ‘[Aniston] was the one that reached out the most,’ he revealed. ‘I’m really grateful to her for that’; Pictured 1995

In an extract from his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, published in The Times on Monday, Matthew revealed that he was in the worst pain of his life and had been unable to empty his bowels for 10 days when his assistant came to his aid.

He recalled: ‘Something was wrong, very wrong. This was a different kind of pain. Like my body was going to burst. ‘Like my insides were trying to force their way out. This was the no f***ing-around kind of pain.’

It was at this point, his assistant Erin – who had been staying in the sober house with him for support – realized he needed to go to hospital. 

Yet she was told by staff at the sober house: ‘This is just drug-seeking behavior. He’s going to ask for drugs at the hospital.’

Perry recalled counsellors tried to ‘block’ their exit, at one point even standing in front of their car so they couldn’t leave. He reasoned: ‘If I were just doing this to get drugs, then I deserved an Oscar.’

The actor was then admitted to Saint John’s Hospital where he lapsed into a coma, aspirated into his breathing tube, contracted pneumonia and his colon exploded.

‘I’ve probably spent $9 million or something trying to get sober’: Matthew Perry, 53, revealed the steep cost of his sobriety a few days after sharing he nearly died from an opioid addiction

Road to recovery: Last week the TV star – who is set to sit down with Diane Sawyer for an exclusive interview airing October 28 – detailed how his drug and alcohol addictions left him with a 2 percent survival after opioids caused his colon to burst and left him in a two-week coma

Sober: The Friends star also shared that he recently celebrated 18 months of sobriety, indicating that her was newly sober during the Friends reunion special in May 2021

After beating the odds and surviving the night, Matthew’s loved ones were told he needed an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine, which wasn’t available at Saint John’s.

Coming soon: Matthew’s memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing is available on November 1

But other hospitals were not willing to admit him, with Perry saying: ‘Cedars-Sinai was called — they took one look at my chart and apparently said, ‘Matthew Perry is not dying in our hospital.’ Thanks, guys.

‘UCLA wasn’t willing to take me, either — for the same reason? Who can say? — but at least they were willing to send an ECMO machine and a team.

‘I was hooked up to it for several hours, and it seemed to work!’

Perry revealed UCLA then admitted him and he spent six weeks on their heart and lung ICU unit. MailOnline has contacted Cedars-Sinai and UCLA for comment. 

In total, Matthew had to have 14 surgeries on is stomach and had to use a colostomy bag for nine months; he said his stomach has a number of scars from the multiple surgeries. 

The extent of his drug addiction was revealed on Thursday during his interview with People Magazine, while he was speaking about his upcoming memoir.

During his interview, Matthew – best known for playing Chandler Bing on Friends – spoke about his decades long battle to rid himself of the disease of addiction.

His therapist told him he may have to use a colostomy bag for the rest of his life if he takes drugs again, something that keeps him from relapsing.

The actor did not disclose when he got sober but said he is ‘pretty healthy’ now and chooses to ‘count each day.’

Troubled: The actor said his alcohol addiction began when he was 24 while starring on Friends (pictured with Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matt Le Blanc and Lisa Kudrow)

Outrageous: The hospital he was staying in didn’t have the necessary equipment to treat him, but neighbouring clinics refused to admit him because of his level of fame (pictured in 2004) 

The actor also said he had to go to rehab 15 times in a bid to get clean; his first bout was in 1997 and then again in 2001 and in 2011.

The actor said his alcohol addiction began when he was 24 while starring on Friends, adding that he was ‘entrenched in a lot of trouble’ by age 34.

Matthew revealed that at one time he was taking 55 Vicodin a day while on Friends, noting that he was down to 128 pounds but ‘didn’t know how to stop.’

He said that his co-stars on Friends ‘were understanding’ and ‘patient.’

During season nine, Matthew was sober; that was the year he also was nominated for Best Actor.

He played Chandler from 1994 to 2004 on Friends alongside co-stars David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow.

The show aired for 10 seasons and made the stars household names. They reunited in 2021 – the first time after 17 years since the show ended – for a reunion special.

Perry’s net worth stands at $120million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The actor made $22,500 per episode on the first season of Friends, with his salary rising to $1million per episode for the last two seasons.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse in the US, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP 

If you are in the UK, call FRANK 24 hours a day, seven days a week 0300 123 6600