Matthew Perry's drastic weight loss on Friends during the late 1990s and early 2000s raised concerns among fans about the actor's well-being — and with good reason. These days, though, the Go On star (whose 44th birthday is Monday, Aug. 19) seems to be sporting a much heartier physique and happier demeanor.
On Sunday, Aug. 18, the funnyman was spotted walking through LAX, his face noticeably rounder and bearing a big grin. He wore black pants, sunglasses, and a green T-shirt under a plaid button-down left open except for one button just above his stomach.
In Perry's case, the fuller figure may actually be a good thing. The Friends alum has said in the past that he was at his skinniest when he was abusing drugs and alcohol. In 2000, his addiction led to his being hospitalized with pancreatitis, which caused him to drop 20 pounds from his then-already-slender frame.
"It was hard living and drinking hard and eating poorly," he told Us Weekly at the time. "You play, you pay."
In May, Perry confessed in an interview with ABC News that he can't bear to look at photos of himself from that period of his life. "I honestly recoil," he said. "It's scary to look at that. I was a sick guy."
He's much healthier today, he added — thanks to addiction specialist Earl Hightower. "This guy has saved my life, literally 15, 16 times," Perry admitted. "The treatment is all-encompassing."
Now sober, the Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip star wants to pay it forward. As he told ABC: "The thing that I'm most proud of in my life is that if a stranger came up to me and said, 'I can't stop drinking. I can't stop drinking. Can you help me?' I can say, 'Yes, I can help you.'"
