Matthew Perry pulling ‘mean’ Keanu Reeves insult from future book editions but hasn’t apologized in person

Actor and “Friends” star Matthew Perry says he is dropping his “mean” references to Keanu Reeves from all future editions of his memoirs.

Perry shared news of the book revision with a crowd on Saturday at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.

“I said a stupid thing. It was a mean thing to do,” Perry said during a panel moderated by Matt Brennan, deputy editor for arts and entertainment for the Times.

In his memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” Perry reflected 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 from Perry’s memoir continued. “Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?”

Swift online backlash ensued over his words about Reeves, a fellow Canadian actor and huge Maple Leafs fan, also commonly referred to as the internet’s boyfriend and probably one of the most well-liked people in Hollywood.

Perry apologized publicly and walked back on his words after early excerpts of his book were released last October.

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

Perry admitted he still hasn’t apologized to Reeves directly, the reported.

“If I run into the guy, I’ll apologize. It was just stupid,” Perry said.

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