Was Matthew Perry Married? What to Know About His Relationships Before His Death
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
After being catapulted to fame thanks to his role on Friends, this beloved sitcom actor had his fair share of high profile romances over the years. But was Matthew Perry married?
Perry—who died at the age of 54 on October 28, 2023—had spoken candidly about his love life in the years before his passing. Reflecting on his past relationships, the actor confessed in an interview with GQ ahead of the release of his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, that he had sabotaged nearly every decent romantic connection he had due to his own personal insecurities and struggles with addiction.
More from StyleCaster
“I break up with them because I’m deathly afraid that they will find out that I’m not enough, that I don’t matter, and that I’m too needy, and they’ll break up with me and that will annihilate me and I’ll have to take drugs and that will kill me,” the Friends star told the publication. “That’s why I break up with these wonderful women that have crossed my path.”
Perry, who was 53 at the time of his interview with GQ, admitted there were at least 10 women “on the face of the planet” who he would “kill to be married to.” But they have all since moved on, gotten married and started families of their own.
Click here to read the full article.
“And you’re not supposed to look in the rearview mirror because then you’ll crash your car,” he told the publication. “But I looked in the rearview mirror and I was like, they’re all gone. They’re all happy, which is great, but I’m the one who’s sitting in a screening room by myself. And there’s no lonelier moment than that.”
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing
‘Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing’ by Matthew Perry
Perry also shared with the magazine that he was dumped only once in his life—and the experience was enough to make him spiral for years. “I lit candles in my house and drank and drank and drank over that, for about two years,” he shared.
After news of his death, however, many are curious to know: was Matthew Perry ever married? Keep on reading ahead for what the Fools Rush In actor revealed about his love life and relationship status before his death.
Was Matthew Perry ever married?
Matthew Perry was never married. He is survived by his mother, Suzanne Marie Morrison, his father, John Bennett Perry, his stepfather, Keith Morrison, and his five half-siblings, Caitlin, Emily, Maria, Will and Madeline.
Perry’s longest relationship was with Mean Girls actress Lizzy Caplan. The pair were together for six years and called it quits in 2012. In his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry revealed that he almost proposed to Caplan and regretted that things ended instead.
“For Christmas, I’d paid a huge amount of money for an artist to paint the two of us,” he wrote of his planned proposal. “My plan was to give her the painting and then ask the question…well, I never asked it. […] And it was time, all I had to do was say, ‘Honey, I love you. Will you…’ But I didn’t say it. All my fears reared up like a snake.”
Perry mused about what their relationship could have been if he went through with the proposal. “I often think if I’d asked [her to marry me], now we’d have two kids and a house. Instead, I’m some schmuck who’s alone in his house at 53.”
Throughout the years, Perry has been linked to actresses like Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham and Rachel Dunn. But his most high-profile relationship was with Julia Roberts. The pair dated for a few months in 1996 and were already a couple by the time she appeared as a guest star on season 2 of Friends. Perry also wrote about his relationship with Roberts in his memoir, recalling his decision to end things.
“Dating Julia Roberts had been too much for me. I had been constantly certain that she was going to break up with me. Why would she not? I was not enough; I could never be enough; I was broken, bent, unlovable,” he wrote. “So instead of facing the inevitable agony of losing her, I broke up with the beautiful and brilliant Julia Roberts.”
He wondered, “She might have considered herself slumming it with a TV guy, and TV guy was now breaking up with her. I can’t begin to describe the look of confusion on her face.”
Who was Matthew Perry dating?
Matthew Perry appeared to be single at the time of his death. His last relationship was with Molly Hurwitz, a literary agent who he started dating in 2018.
Their relationship was the closest Perry got to marriage. He proposed to her in November 2020, telling People at the time, “I decided to get engaged. Luckily, I happened to be dating the greatest woman on the face of the planet at this time.”
The pair kept a low-profile during their engagement, although Hurwitz shared a heartfelt tribute on her private Instagram page in honor of Valentine’s Day in 2020. “Second year being my valentine, but his first as an Instagram influencer,” she wrote, referencing the Friends star’s sudden following after joining the social media platform earlier that month. “HVD to my favorite.”
Six months later, the actor popped the question while at rehab facility in Switzerland. However, they ultimately called it quits by June 2021. “Sometimes things just don’t work out and this is one of them,” Perry said in a statement following their split. “I wish Molly the best.”
Did Matthew Perry have kids?
Matthew Perry did not have any kids. However, the 17 Again star had spoken about his dreams of starting a family before his death. In his 2022 interview with GQ, he said that he finally felt that he would make a “great dad” and a “good husband.”
“It took decades to do it, but I have,” he told the magazine. “I believe that I am enough, and I believe that I’m not too needy, and I believe that I do matter. I know that the next person I date, if it’s good, will be significant, because I’m no longer mired in those kinds of fears. So I’m looking forward to that. I’m not out on the hunt for it or anything, but if it happens it’d be nice.”
He added, “I think I’d be a great dad. And now I think I’d be a good husband. But not back then.” He went on to share that he was the happiest he’d ever been—but thought that having a family would make his life even better. “Maybe if I had a kid it would move me up,” he said.
Perry echoed these sentiments in an interview with People that same year, telling the outlet that he couldn’t wait to be a father one day. “I’m not run by the fear I used to be run by so everything’s kind of different,” he said. “I’m feeling more confident and I’m not afraid of love anymore, so the next girl I go out with better watch out.”
As a dad, he said, “I think I’d be great. I really do. I grew up with a lot of little kids around me, and that’s probably why, but I can’t wait.”
Friends, Lovers, and The Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
‘Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing’ by Matthew Perry
For more about Matthew Perry, read his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. The New York Times bestseller takes readers through Perry’s life and career, from his childhood dreams of becoming an actor to how he was cast in Friends to his struggle with addiction and his stints in rehab. “Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead,” Perry writes in the book. Told in his own words for the first time ever, the memoir is an “unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny” account of Perry’s trials and triumphs. Described as an “unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening,” Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is a must-read for Friends fans.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, help is available. Call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for free, confidential support.
Our mission at StyleCaster is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.
Best of StyleCaster
