Matthew Perry is single: Why did the ‘Friends’ star end his engagement?

Friends star Matthew Perry just announced the end of his engagement to Molly Hurwitz. Perry & Hurwitz first started dating back in 2018, but the couple reportedly had a rocky start to 2020 and split up for a brief time. They got back together, and Perry proposed last November. 

The timing of the breakup is quite a coincidence. Just days ago, Matthew Perry and the rest of the Friends cast were seen together for the first time in years on Friends: The Reunion (also known as “The One Where They Get Back Together”). Fans pointed out that Perry seemed somewhat subdued throughout the reunion show. Now many are speculating that his relationship status may have been a factor.

For any Friends fans dying to know more, we’ve got all the latest details right here. 

Reunion

The Friends reunion got announced all the way back in 2019. Production of the special, along with everything else in the world, was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After two delays in 2020, the special finally began filming in April of 2021. 

The nearly two-hour special aired on HBO Max on May 27th, 2021. It is only the second time that the Friends cast has reunited since the show’s finale seventeen years ago. In the special, the cast tours their old set, does table reads of episodes, and chats with James Corden in front of a live audience.

Despite being the first time the cast had been together in many years, their chemistry still shined through during the special’s many segments. The cast members acknowledged that with Matt LeBlanc elaborating: “It’s funny, when we do get together, it’s like no time has passed. We pick up right where we left off.” Perry agreed, calling the cast’s chemistry with each other “magic”. 

Some fans online pointed out that Matthew Perry spoke very little during the Friends reunion special. Representatives for Perry clarified that the actor had undergone emergency dental surgery shortly before filming the special. Ben Winston, director of Friends: The Reunion, spoke out against what he said were “unkind” comments about Perry’s appearance on the episode. 

Relationship woes

Now it seems there may have been more to Matthew Perry’s lack of energy on Friends: The Reunion. He announced the end of his engagement to his longtime girlfriend Molly Hurwitz on June 1st. In a statement on the breakup, Perry said, “Sometimes things just don’t work out, and this is one of them. I wish Molly the best”. 

The couple reportedly separated for a short time last year, only to reunite and get engaged in November. At the time of their engagement, Perry & Hurwitz had been dating for just over two years. Speaking with People about the engagement, Perry said, “I decided to get engaged. Luckily, I happened to be dating the greatest woman on the face of the planet at this time”. 

Other statements

Previously, Perry had dated another television star. He and Lizzy Caplan, star of Showtime’s Master of Sex, dated for six years. The two of them split back in 2012. Perry’s relationship with Molly Hurwitz is his most recent romantic entanglement in the public eye. 

At twenty-nine, Hurwitz is an accomplished literary manager. So far, she hasn’t made any public statement about the end of her relationship with fifty-one-year-old Perry. At the moment, he also seems satisfied leaving things on the quiet side. 

Perry has never been one for lengthy public statements. That means fans are left to their own wild speculations. Regardless of the reasons behind their breakup, people online are wishing Perry & Hurwitz well. 

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Single Matthew Perry fans, now’s your chance. What do you make of this breakup news? Let us know in the comments!