What did Matthew Perry say about Keanu Reeves in his memoir?

News has recently surfaced that Friends star Matthew Perry will be making a few amendments to future editions of his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, after receiving a great deal of criticism for some comments the actor made about John Wick star Keanu Reeves in the book. 

For starters, we’re probably thinking exactly what you’re thinking – how could anyone ever say a bad word about a man who is perhaps Hollywood’s most humble and down to earth star? It is what it is – but perhaps the more pressing question is, what exactly did Perry say about Reeves in the first place? We’ve got the answers you’re after. 

What Matthew Perry said about Keanu Reeves

In his memoir released earlier this year, Perry made a number of bizarre comments about Reeves in moments lamenting departed actors he admired. In essence, he was, in a weird way, wishing death upon the John Wick star, despite never outright indicating that the actor had ever slighted him in any way. In short, Perry uses the odd punchline “Keanu Reeves still walks among us,” a number of times throughout the book. For instance: 

“Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?”

Following initial backlash, Perry went on the record to apologize for the bizarre quotes, stating that he actually really likes Reeves, and the star was just an unfortunate name chosen to be the butt of a couple of bad jokes, saying he should have used his own name instead.