Matthew Perry Backs Down After Taking Aim At Internet Darling Keanu Reeves - Forbes

Excerpts from Matthew Perry’s upcoming memoir, successful which Perry gets candid with his struggles with addiction, person been inspiring headlines for respective weeks. One passage, which took a random, mean-spirited jab astatine Keanu Reeves, sparked backlash online, prompting an apology from Perry.

In the passage, Perry discusses his adjacent relationship with the precocious River Phoenix, and his absorption to Phoenix’s decease successful 1993 from an overdose.

“River was a beauteous man, wrong and retired — excessively beauteous for this world, it turned out,” Perry wrote successful the book. “It ever seems to beryllium the truly talented guys who spell down. Why is it that the archetypal thinkers similar River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves inactive walks among us?”

It’s an odd, tasteless jab that seems to travel retired of nowhere, and Perry repeats the sentiment successful a aboriginal transition wherever helium describes his absorption to the decease of Chris Farley, who besides died from an overdose.

Perry writes. “I punched a spread done Jennifer Aniston’s dressing country partition erstwhile I recovered out. Keanu Reeves walks among us. I had to beforehand ‘Almost Heroes’ 2 weeks aft helium died; I recovered myself publically discussing his decease from drugs and alcohol. I was precocious the full time.”

There aren’t galore “unproblematic” celebrities retired determination nowadays, and Reeves is 1 of the fewer who remains astir universally beloved, particularly online. So galore celebrities person been outed arsenic abusers, oregon go consumed by bigotry, portion Reeves has a estimation of being a genuinely beauteous person.

Hence, the net instantly came to his defense.

Some speculated that Perry mightiness beryllium nursing immoderate benignant of idiosyncratic grudge against Reeves, portion others noted that the jab was peculiarly cruel, considering that Reeves has experienced much than his just stock of grief and loss.

In effect to the flood of condemnation, Perry rapidly apologized, and attempted to clarify his intentions. In a statement to People Magazine, Perry said:

“I’m really a large instrumentality of Keanu. I conscionable chose a random name, my mistake. I apologize. I should person utilized my ain sanction instead.”

Some commentators were confused by Perry’s apology, arsenic Reeves didn’t look to beryllium a random sanction astatine all; similar Perry, Reeves was erstwhile adjacent friends with River Phoenix.

In erstwhile interviews, Reeves has been candid astir however overmuch helium inactive grieves the precocious actor. In an interrogation with Esquire, Reeves discussed Phoenix, stating:

“It’s weird speaking astir him successful the past. I hatred speaking astir him successful the past. So I astir ever gotta support it present. He was a truly peculiar person, truthful original, unique, smart, talented, fiercely creative. Thoughtful. Brave. And funny. And dark. And light. It was large to person known him.”

Perhaps Perry, who roseate to fame successful the nineties, wherever “edgy” wit was overmuch much popular, was simply making a atrocious gag that truly didn’t land; tastes person changed, arsenic audiences person go much empathetic.

Nowadays, that benignant of mean-spirited wit has go powerfully associated with right-wing provocateurs, oregon fading comedians clinging connected to relevancy done controversy.

Whatever Perry was thinking, helium surely learned his acquisition - ne'er people Keanu Reeves, the astir beloved antheral connected the internet.