Did Matthew Perry have kids? His sister reveals the heartbreaking truth in new Netflix documentary

Matthew Perry’s sister Mia Perry Bowick is speaking publicly for the first time following her brother’s death in the new Netflix documentary series The One About Matthew Perry, including his wish for a family life. 

The Friends star tragically died on October 28, 2023, at the age of 54 from the “acute effects of ketamine” and subsequent drowning. Although it was originally believed to have been an accident, an investigation uncovered criminal activity involving the supply of ketamine.

Five people pleaded guilty to various charges in relation to supplying the drug to Perry, including his former personal assistant and a doctor. 

Perry, best known for playing Chandler Bing on the iconic sitcom, was open about his struggles with addiction. But the new Netflix documentary gives us a deeper insight into who he was as a person and how his loved ones around him saw him.

Sadly, his father, retired actor John Bennett Perry, couldn’t appear in the docu-series due to an illness. But Mia Perry Bowick, one of Perry’s five half-siblings, does give extensive interviews to talk more about who her brother was beyond the cameras.

And she’s also talked about the family life he had always wanted. 

Did Matthew Perry have kids?

Sadly, no. Perry never got married or had children himself. But he had spoken openly about wanting to settle down and start a family, with a clip of this shown in The One About Matthew Perry. 

In a 2002 interview with Larry King, the host asks if he’s been in love, to which he replies, “Yes, of course I’ve been in love. I’ve met some amazing people.” 

When asked if he wants to get married, Perry said, “I do. I think in the last maybe six or seven months of my life, I’ve become a person that deserves somebody wonderful and isn’t scared of that.”

By this point, Perry had been in recovery for around 18 months, following his decision to seek treatment in February 2001. Prior to this, Perry said, “I had this rather big dark cloud hanging over me for most of my life.”

Perry Bowick also spoke about his desire for a family while reflecting on the moment her brother and Courteney Cox filmed Chandler and Monica’s wedding for Friends season 7. 

“I remember he was coming back and forth from rehab. Both sides of the family came to the filming to watch them get married,” she explains. 

“It was a really big deal because we’re all worried about him. You know, trying to navigate relationships while also battling this crippling addiction is, I mean, I would say near impossible. 

“So I think the unspoken truth that we were all sitting with in some way or another was, is this his wedding?” She also said the emotion that was behind his eyes was “so real”, and that there was real platonic love between Perry and Cox. 

In a separate interview with People, Perry Bowick elaborated on the family’s concern about this scene, saying they knew it was what Perry wanted for himself in real life. 

“We all knew how serious his disorder was, so there was this sense of, ‘Who knows what’s going to happen?’” she said. “Watching that wedding, we all knew he wanted that in life. He wanted a partner, he wanted kids.”

What the Friends star said about wanting marriage and children

And Perry himself had spoken about how much he wanted to become a father.

In a 2022 interview with People, while promoting his memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, the actor said he was looking forward to having children and believed he would make a good dad.

“I think I’d be great. I really do,” he said. “I grew up with a lot of little kids around me, and that’s probably why, but I can’t wait.”

He also explained that he had previously struggled with a fear of relationships, but felt he was finally in a better place to find love. “I’m feeling more confident and I’m not afraid of love anymore,” he said.

In his memoir, Perry also reflected on his six-year relationship with Rachel Dunn, admitting he had almost proposed to her but ultimately let his fears get in the way.

Looking back, he imagined that if he had asked her to marry him, they might have had two children and a house together.

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Featured image credit: Netflix/NBC