'Friends' Star Matthew Perry Slurred Speech Blamed On Emergency Dental Work Not Struggle With Substance Abuse
May 26 2021, Published 11:42 a.m. ET
Matthew Perry's mysteriously slurred speech during the Friends reunion trailer immediately put fans on high alert with many assuming he fell off the wagon.
The 51-year-old actor's slurred speech and noticeably hollow facial expressions caught attention when HBO Max released the teaser for “Friends: The Reunion” special -- which is set to air on Thursday.
Fans of the beloved show also questioned his emotional response to co-star Jennifer Aniston in which he almost broke down in tears.
Perry's strange speech and demeanor were allegedly due to "emergency dental work" -- which he allegedly got right before filming -- and not his struggle with substance abuse, according to The Sun.
“Matthew turned up to the reunion [in April] and members of his team said that he had an emergency tooth procedure that day,” a source told the UK outlet.
"That was said to impact his wellbeing and also how he was feeling," they added.
“He had been in pain from what we understand, which caused the slurred speech,” the insider said.
"Obviously no one wants to film after a procedure, but it happened," they continued. "The feeling was one of h