Matthew Perry says the comments about Keanu Reeves will be removed from future editions of his book, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.”
The “Friends” actor admitted he’d done a “stupid thing” by slighting “The Matrix” star in his memoir, which was published in November 2022.
During an appearance at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Saturday, Variety reported Perry telling audiences, “I said a stupid thing. It was a mean thing to do.”
Offering some explanation, he added, “I pulled his name because I live on the same street. Any future versions of the book will not have his name in it.”
In the memoir, which chronicles Perry’s struggles with stardom and substance abuse, the actor clumsily muses about stars who left the world too soon.
“Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?” it reads.
Perry returns to the thought again while writing about Chris Farley’s 1997 death in the book.
After publication, the sitcom star made a quick about face, telling the media, “I’m actually a big fan of Keanu. I just chose a random name, my mistake. I apologize. I should have used my own name instead.”
At the event, Perry revealed he has only “publicly” said sorry to the “John Wick” actor.
“If I run into the guy, I’ll apologize. It was just stupid,” he reasoned.
The “17 Again” actor said writing his story was a cathartic process.
“It came pouring out of me, the painful stuff, hospitals, rehabs, all of this stuff, it poured out of me,” he said. “It went really quickly.”