Matthew Perry’s Final Gift: ‘Friends’ Scripts and Treasured Mementos Head to Auction to Fight Addiction Stigma
Few sitcoms have left a mark on popular culture quite like ‘Friends’, the NBC comedy that ran for ten seasons and turned six ensemble cast members into household names. For Matthew Perry, who played the quick-witted, sarcasm-armored Chandler Bing from 1994 to 2004, the show was both a career pinnacle and a backdrop to some of his most painful personal struggles. Nearly three years after his passing, a deeply meaningful collection of items from his estate is now offering fans a rare and poignant way to connect with his legacy.
Perry starred on ‘Friends’ for its entire 10-season run, becoming one of television’s most recognizable comedic actors before his death on October 28, 2023, at his Los Angeles home at the age of 54. The medical examiner determined that the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine were the primary cause, and five people have since pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the investigation of his death, including two doctors and an admitted drug dealer.
Personal items from Perry’s estate are now headed to auction in partnership with his non-profit foundation, which aims to reduce the stigma around addiction, with the charity auction donating its net proceeds to advance what organizers describe as his most meaningful legacy, building a future free from addiction stigma where every person seeking recovery has access to the care, resources, and community they need to thrive. The live auction takes place online and in person in Dallas on June 5, hosted by Heritage Auctions, with items available for preview at the Beverly Hills showroom from May 18 to 29.
Among the standout items are 26 original scripts from the series, including episodes like “The One With Ross’s Tan,” “The One Where Joey Speaks French,” and the two-part finale, “The Last One.” Additional highlights include scripts signed by Perry and his co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer, donated by Warner Bros.
Also up for grabs are a personal photo album titled “The One With the Last Supper,” Perry’s replica of the show’s instantly recognizable yellow peephole frame from Monica’s apartment, and his 1995 SAG Award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a television comedy series.
Additional beneficiaries of the auction beyond the Matthew Perry Foundation include the Matthew Perry Foundation Fellowship in Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Healing Appalachia, a recovery-focused sober music festival, and grassroots recovery grants for other frontline organizations.
Foundation CEO Lisa Kasteler Calio said in a statement that Matthew believed addiction should be met with compassion and science, not stigma and silence, and that the auction fuels the foundation’s work to ensure no one has to fight the disease alone.
“Matthew believed addiction should be met with compassion and science, not stigma and silence. This auction fuels the foundation’s work to expand access to evidence-based care and confront stigma. It is one more way we ensure that no one has to fight this disease alone.”
The auction arrives at a moment when Perry’s former castmates have been reflecting on his talent with renewed depth. Speaking to The Times, Lisa Kudrow said that after Perry died she rewatched ‘Friends’ and for the first time truly appreciated just how great it was. “Because there was a genius at work,” she told The Times. “And whatever any of us do in the future, we will never experience something like that again.”
For fans of ‘Friends’ and those whose lives have been touched by addiction, this auction represents far more than a chance to own a prop or a signed page. It is a tangible extension of a life that was both extraordinarily public and deeply private, shaped by laughter, struggle, and an enduring desire to help others find their way through.
Let us know in the comments what item from the Matthew Perry estate auction you would most want to own, and what his legacy means to you.
