THEY ONLY LIKE THEIR WATER AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, X MARKS THE FOX

i did not know chandler bing aka matthew perry was struggling like this

jamari fox October 30, 2023

i am still blown away at chandler bing,
aka,
matthew perry‘s untimely passing.
i still feel like i’m dreaming.
i know watching friends is a touchy subject for many black folks but fuck it:

I loved Friends and he was one of my favorite characters on that show.

like certain artists albums,
that show got me through some hard times.
my cousin politely let me know i’ve become more like monica as i grow up.

i’ll accept it cause its true.
i heard about matthew’s troubles when he was alive.
due to just not wanting to know,
i didn’t do much of deep dive.
i chose to keep him in my happy place.
after he passed,
i ended up watching his interview with diana sawyer and…

i would never have known he was an addict while watching friends.
him admitting about his addiction weight on the show was crazy.
matthew was a brilliant comedic actor who didn’t miss a beat.
i thought it was pretty impressive he showed up while in the struggle.
he said two other things in that interview that sat with me tho.

1. He said that he thought fame would help take away all of his troubles.
It didn’t do any of that but made it worse.

this is why they say fame and money only enhances the monsters inside us.

2. He compared his friends on the cast like penguins.
When a penguin is in trouble or sick,
all the other penguins rush to boost it up.

that gave me chills.
they could have abandoned him but they stuck by his side.
jennifer aniston crying about him in her interview made me cry.
you can say whatever you want about that cast but they are a unit.
that show ended years ago and they still show up for each other.
that is all we ever want with those around us.

i’m saddened that as matthew was trying to get it together,
God thought it was time to call him home.
he brought joy to his friends but those who knew him as chandler bing.
i can only imagine how devastated they all are.
it’s interesting how he lived like the character of mr. heckles.
thank you chandler bing for helping me through in my own troubles.
your character made me laugh when i wanted to cry.
you are free now.