New Delhi: A jet ski accident led to Matthew Perry’s dependence on painkillers, which eventually spiralled into addiction.
Doug Draizin, the producer of Perry’s 1997 romantic comedy Fools Rush In, appears in Netflix’s three-part docuseries The One About Matthew Perry (2026), where he reflects on working with the actor and the accident that changed everything.
Draizin spoke fondly of Perry, saying he was confident the actor was the right choice for the film’s lead role. However, he recalled that Perry was dealing with personal struggles during the shoot, and the crew noticed that he “carried the weight of the whole world on his shoulders”, which affected his performance.
Eventually, Perry found his footing, and the shoot began to progress smoothly. However, on an unfortunate day, the actor “got permission to get on a jet ski” on Lake Mead during a lunch break
“He flung himself in the air, and he hurt himself,” Draizin said.
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Incredible euphoria
In archival footage, Perry explained that doctors prescribed painkillers for his injury, which gave him an immediate sense of euphoria. He said that he “felt this incredible euphoria.”
“So why wouldn’t I take more?” he said. “And I started to feel sick when I wasn’t taking them.”
Draizin recalled meeting Perry again four or five months later and being alarmed by his appearance. “I was like, ‘This guy’s very sick.’ I thought it could have been cancer, it could have been immune something.” At the time, Perry attributed his appearance to a lack of sleep, Draizin said.
Soon after, tabloids reported Perry’s addiction, bringing his struggles into the public eye.
“I was grocery shopping when I saw the tabloid and I didn’t believe it. I came home and told my parents that no way it’s true and they said, ‘it is, he is in rehab’,” said Perry’s sister, Mia Perry Bowick.
(Edited by Janaki Pande)