John Mulaney Says He 'Really Identified' with Matthew Perry's Story amid His Own Journey with Addiction

Mulaney, who has been open about his own struggles with addiction, said he was "thinking about [Perry] a lot" following the 'Friends' actor's death in October

John Mulaney is sharing how Matthew Perry's candor about his addiction had a great influence on his own struggles with substances.

The Baby J star, 41, reflected on the Friends alum’s death and explained that his memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing had been highly relatable during his own journey with addiction.

“Addiction is just a disaster,” Mulaney, 41, explained to Variety. “Life is like a wobbly table at a restaurant and you pile all this s--- on it, and it gets wobblier and wobblier and more unstable. Then drugs just kick the f---ing legs out from under the table.”

“I really identified with his story. I’m thinking about him a lot,” he added.

Related: Everything John Mulaney Has Said About Addiction and His Initial Journey to Sobriety

On Oct. 28, Perry was found dead after an apparent drowning in a hot tub in the backyard of his Los Angeles home.

According to TMZ, who first reported the death news, law enforcement sources indicated that there were no drugs found at the scene. There were also no signs of foul play present.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed to PEOPLE that an autopsy has been completed and results are pending a toxicology report. However, an online record has the status of the actor's cause of death currently listed as "deferred" since it's "pending additional investigation."

Related: Matthew Perry Planned to Launch a Foundation to Help Others Struggling with Substance Abuse Before His Death

Perry released his memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing in November 2022. He had always been honest about his struggles with addiction in hopes of helping others. With 15 rehab stints under his belt, he insisted that he’d mostly been sober since 2001 "with about 60 or 70 little mishaps over the years," as he told People in October 2022.

“I wanted to share when I was safe from going into the dark side again,” he said of his intentions behind his memoir. “I had to wait until I was pretty safely sober—and away from the active disease of alcoholism and addiction—to write it all down. I was pretty certain that it would help people if I did.”

As for Mulaney, the Big Mouth star has channeled his own experiences with addiction into his comedy. His third Netflix standup special, Baby J, was released in April and explored his relapse, his star-studded intervention and his return to rehab in December 2020.

Related: Matthew Perry's Lasting Legacy: How He Won Our Hearts and Found a Mission Helping Others with Addiction

“Going to rehab and a lot of other things had become public knowledge, and I felt there was no way to start doing stand-up again without going through this,” he told Variety. “I also had a lot to say about it. It had been an extremely eventful time, and the goal from the beginning was to do this as funny as I could make it — not as impactful as I could make it, not to pause for dramatic effect.

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"I just wanted it to be a little wilder and put you in my very confident, demented brain during the time of addiction,” he said.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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