‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry apologizes for comments about Keanu Reeves in upcoming memoir

Matthew Perry has apologized after a torrent of backlash online over comments he made about Keanu Reeves in an upcoming tell-all book.

Ahead of the release of his upcoming memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” excerpts were released earlier this week by Variety and The New York Post that contained parts of the book where the “Friends” star appears to target fellow Canadian actor Keanu Reeves.

While reflecting on his relationship with late actor River Phoenix, who died at 23 nearly 30 years ago, Perry wrote, “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,” the excerpt continues. “Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?”

The “Friends” actor is now walking back his words.

In a statement to People magazine, Perry said, “I’m actually a big fan of Keanu. I just chose a random name, my mistake. I apologize. I should have used my own name instead.”

The 53-year-old actor references Reeves again in a passage in his book about late comedian Chris Farley. “His disease had progressed faster than mine had. (Plus, I had a healthy fear of the word ‘heroin,’ a fear we did not share),” Perry wrote.

“I punched a hole through Jennifer Aniston’s dressing room wall when I found out. Keanu Reeves walks among us.”

Online reaction has included celebrities as well. Lynda Carter, the original Wonder Woman, tweeted, “Come on … Keanu Reeves is like one of those frozen cakes. Nobody doesn’t like him!”

“West Side Story” actor Rachel Zegler wrote, “personally thrilled that keanu reeves walks among us.”

Billy Baldwin tweeted, “In a world full of Matthew Perry’s… be a Keanu Reeves.”

Perry told People magazine his decision to publish a memoir available Nov. 1 was one he made while “safely sober” in hopes of helping others who struggle with addiction.

“I wanted to share when I was safe from going into the dark side of everything again,” he told People, and said he waited until he was “away from the active disease of alcoholism and addiction — to write it all down. And the main thing was, I was pretty certain that it would help people.”

Other revelations in Perry’s book included his admission he spent about $9 million in total in efforts to stay sober, and that he’d nearly died once because of an opioid overdose.

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