Matthew Perry became so famous through Friends that he hardly needed an introduction. When news of his death broke, fans were left stunned and heartbroken. Many were equally saddened when details of his battle with addiction came to light. Now, his sister, Mia Perry Bovick, has revealed that she first learned about his addiction through tabloids.
Matthew Perry sister reveals how she learned of his addiction in new documentary, per report
A new documentary about Friends star explores his rise to fame, career, struggles with addiction, and untimely death. His half-sister, Mia Perry Bovick, has now opened up about his life in the documentary for the first time. According to Page Six, Matthew Perry’s sister recalled a moment in 1997 when, as a teenager, Bovick spotted tabloids featuring headlines about her brother’s addiction scandal while she was at a grocery store.
Mia said, “I remember thinking, ‘That’s obviously not true. I would know if something was going on. I’m his sister. We’re close.”
However, when Bovick asked her parents about the headlines, they admitted that Perry was in rehab. Former NBC executive Warren Littlefield recalled that just before filming began on Season 4 of Friends, the producers said, “Matthew has a problem.”
Littlefield said actor agreed to enter a rehab program, and at the time, he believed that “Matthew was wounded, and he would heal.”
Speaking of the series, Netflix’s new three-part docuseries The One About Matthew Perry was released on October 27, 2026. Directed by Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker Mary Robertson, the series features unseen photos from the Perry family’s personal archives, childhood Super 8 footage, and interviews with his close friends, including David Pressman and Roger Castillo. In the docuseries, the American-Canadian actor’s sister also opened up about her regrets over his addiction, his struggles to manage his substance use, and how their father always supported him.
