Matthew Perry’s sister says he ‘spent $7m trying to get sober’ in Netflix documentary trailer
A new Netflix documentary about Matthew Perry’s life will be released in October (Donato Sardella/WireImage for Lollipop Theater Network)
Matthew Perry’s sister Mia Perry Bowick says he “spent $7m trying to get sober” in the trailer for Netflix’s new three-part series The One About Matthew Perry.
In the preview, Bowick frames her brother’s life as a story that held both joy and pain. “All great stories have comedy and tragedy in them, and that certainly was Matthew’s story,” she says. She then recalls the emotional struggle she says sat underneath his addiction: “My brother would talk about that feeling of emptiness or loneliness that he couldn’t quite fill.”
Bowick underlines the scale of what she describes as Perry’s efforts to recover. “He spent $7m trying to get sober,” she continues. “That’s how seriously he took his disease.”
Netflix has confirmed the series will be released on 27 October.
What does Mia Perry Bowick say in the Netflix trailer?
Bowick also explains why she chose to take part in the documentary. “It’s taken time for me to feel ready to share these memories and what it was like to love Matthew through all the complexity of his life, to see him as a whole person, not just as Chandler, and not just as someone who struggled with addiction,” she says.
She adds: “I hope this series gives everyone who loved him, whether personally or from afar, a deeper appreciation for who he truly was, and the legacy he leaves behind.”
The documentary is described as exploring “the full scope of who Matthew was: the comedic genius, the man who grappled with addiction, the advocate in the addiction and recovery space”.
What else has Perry said about the cost of getting sober?
Perry was best known for playing the iconic Chandler Bing on Friends (1994–2004). He discussed addiction and recovery publicly for years, including in his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
In the book, he wrote that he spent over $7m on 15 rehab stints, and later said in an interview it was likely closer to $9m.
Perry was found unresponsive in the pool at his residence on 28 October 2023 and was pronounced dead aged 54. It was later revealed he died of the acute effects of ketamine.
