Matthew Perry has been pictured out in public for the first time in almost two years following his recent health battles.
But the 49-year-old Friends actor, who has previously battled substance addiction and depression, sparked concern with his appearance as he was seen walking in Manhattan on Thursday looking disheveled and bloated.
The TV funnyman, who spent three months in hospital last year for a ruptured bowel, was seen wearing loose-fitting stained clothes and sporting a large mark on his right cheek.
Alarming: Matthew Perry was pictured out in New York on Thursday looking unwell and disheveled
Also cause for alarm were Perry’s swollen hands and long unkempt fingernails, hinting that that the actor is struggling with his health once again.
The much-loved comedian found fame as one of the six Friends in the classic 90s sitcom with Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer.
And Perry’s appearance was in stark contrast to his former Friends costars Cox and Aniston this week as they looked the picture of health and happiness on a trip to Mexico.
The women, who have remained close since the NBC comedy wrapped in 2004, celebrated Courteney’s 55th birthday in Cabo, hitting the beach in their bikinis with a group of pals.
Rarely seen: The 49-year-old actor was seen in baggy and stained clothing as he was photographed out for the first time since 2017
Health battle: The much-loved funnyman, who has previously battled addiction and depression, sparked concern with his appearance as he was seen walking in Manhattan
Concerning appearance: The Friends actor looked bloated and displayed long dirty fingernails
Just days earlier Cox and Aniston, 50, reunited with Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay in the sitcom, for a girls’ day during which they snapped a cheery selfie.
Meanwhile, Aniston appeared to have a change of heart recently when it came to the idea of a Friends reboot.
During an interview with Ellen DeGeneres earlier this month, she stated’Well, ‘no’ was getting me nowhere, ‘maybe’ was getting me nowhere. So, I don’t know, I thought I’d try ‘yes.’ See what happened,’ she said, adding that ‘anything can happen.’
She made it clear, however, that there are no immediate plans for a remake.
‘Listen, I told you this, I would do it. The girls would do it and the boys would do it, I’m sure,’ she told DeGeneres.
Convincing Perry, however, might be more difficult as the actor – who played cynical goofball Chandler Bing on the series, told Vanity Fair in 2017 about his fears a Friends remake would be a failure.
Career on hold: Perry spent three months in hospital last summer after he suffered a gastrointestinal perforation but kept his humor about the situation on Twitter
‘I have this recurring nightmare — I’m not kidding about this. When I’m asleep, I have this nightmare that we do Friends again and nobody cares.
‘We do a whole series, we come back, and nobody cares about it. So if anybody asks me, I’m gonna say no. The thing is: we ended on such a high. We can’t beat it.’
The Massachusetts born actor hasn’t starred in a movie since 17 Again in 2009 opposite Zac Efron.
Following that he appeared in several TV series including Mr. Sunshine, Go On and The Good Wife but has had no new roles since 2017.
Under the radar: Perry is pictured in Beverly Hills on August 19 2017 (left) the last time he was pictured out in public and in 2016 (right)
The actor sparked concern in February after tweeting that he was kicked out of therapy.
He offered no more details, even after he was inundated with messages from fans offering their support but eventually followed up the next day writing, ‘Easy guys, it was just one session. I’m back in therapy where I belong.’
It came after the Whole Nine Yards star stayed in hospital in June 2018 for three months after he had surgery to repair a gastrointestinal perforation.
Perry told his Twitter followers he had spent the last three months in a hospital bed in a tongue-in-cheek tweet, writing on Twitter, ‘Three months in a hospital bed. Check,’
A representative for the star previously confirmed Matthew was having surgery at the time and said: ‘He is grateful for the concern and asks for continued privacy as he heals.’
Still Friends: Perry’s appearance was in stark contrast to his former Friends costars Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston who enjoyed a trip to Mexico together this week
Friends reunited: Days earlier the ladies reunited with fellow Friends costar Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay, for a cheery girls date
Concerned: The actor worried his fans in February when he revealed he got kicked out of therapy
Gastrointestinal perforation, also known as ruptured bowel, can occur along any point in the wall of the gastrointestinal tract. This includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine.
The actor is an outspoken addiction recovery advocate after struggling with addictions to alcohol and several prescription drugs during his time on Friends.
In 1997, he completed a 28-day program for Vicodin addiction and he later told Larry King that he took the painkiller ‘mostly just to not drink as much as I was.’
The actor – who has Canadian and American citizenship – lost 20 pounds in 2000 due to pancreatitis.
In 2001, the actor entered rehab to recover from his use of Vicodin, methadone, amphetamines, and alcohol.
Ups and downs: He was looking healthier in April 2017 at a screening of The CIrcle
Joey! Perry’s Friends costar Matt LeBlanc, pictured in March, has been keeping busy with TV show Man with a Plan
David Schwimmer, who played Ross Geller in Friends, is currently starring in Will & Grace
In 2013 Perry opened up about his addiction battles, telling People: ‘I was on Friends from age 24 to 34. I was in the white-hot flame of fame. The six of us were just everywhere all the time.
‘From an outsider’s perspective, it would seem like I had it all. It was actually a very lonely time for me because I was suffering from alcoholism,’ he said. ‘It was going on before Friends, but it’s a progressive disease.’
Last year he sold his home in the Hollywood Hills for $12.5million after having bought a $20million luxury penthouse apartment in Century City last year.
TV history: Aniston recently revealed she was warming up to the idea of a Friends reboot but Perry said in 2017 he wouldn’t want to do it