Friends star Matthew Perry recalled a time he and a friend beat up Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when they were in the fifth grade.
“We actually beat up Justin Trudeau,” the beloved actor said.
“I was a couple years ahead of [Trudeau],” Perry told Jimmy Kimmel in a 2017 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “I have a story about him that I’m not proud of.”
“I was reminded of this by my friend, Chris Murray — who was also in the fifth grade in Canada — reminded me that we actually beat up Justin Trudeau,” Perry said.
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After being asked why, the Fools Rush In star said, “I don’t know, I think he was excelling in a sport that we weren’t, so it was pure jealously — and we, you know, we beat him up.”
Perry also acknowledged that Trudeau’s father was the Prime Minister of Canada at that time, adding, “But I don’t think that’s the reason we beat him up. I think he was the only kid in school that we could beat up.”
Kimmel then asked if Canada has “Secret Service there, protecting the children of their Prime Ministers?” to which Perry said, “They didn’t.”
“But I’m not bragging about this,” the actor added. “This is terrible. I was a stupid kid, and I didn’t want to beat him up. In fact, I think at one point I tried to turn it into love play.”
“I think I was rather instrumental in him becoming, you know, going to such great heights and becoming the Prime Minister,” Perry quipped. “I think he said, ‘I’m going to rise above this, and I’m going to become the Prime Minister.’”
After Kimmel asked if he has ever been in contact with Trudeau about this, Perry said, “No, no, I feel ashamed. I don’t want to think about it.”
Perry died at the age of 54 at his Los Angeles home on Saturday, October 28. The Whole Nine Yards star was found under the water in his hot tub by an employee.
Tributes and flowers grow for Matthew Perry as fans continue to gather at the “Friends” apartment building on November 1, 2023 in New York, New York. (MEGA/GC Images)
“Matthew Perry’s passing is shocking and saddening,” Trudeau said in an X post on Saturday. “I’ll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them.”
“Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved — and you will be missed,” the Canadian Prime Minister added.
Matthew Perry’s passing is shocking and saddening. I’ll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them. Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved – and you will be missed.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) October 29, 2023
Social media users reacted to Trudeau’s post in the comment section, with one writing, “By ‘school yard games’ do you mean when he kicked your ass?”“didn’t he beat you up” another commented.
“Oh, you mean the time you got beaten up?” another asked.“Didn’t he stuff you in a locker?” another X user inquired.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner is currently investigating Perry’s cause of death. Initial tests show there was no fentanyl or meth in the actor’s system at the time of his death.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and X/Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.