Bill Maher has ripped into the doctors involved in Matthew Perry‘s death, slamming what he called the “medical industrial complex” and referring to those who supplied the Friends star with drugs as “enablers.”
On Friday’s (August 30) episode of HBO‘s Real Time, the comedian spoke about Perry’s death during his “New Rules” segment. While Maher noted he and Perry “weren’t super close,” he said, “he was enough of a friend and enough of a good guy to make me very angry when I read about all the enablers.”
Perry died on October 28, 2023, at the age of 54, and in December 2023, his death was ruled an accidental overdose caused by acute effects of ketamine. In August, five people were arrested in connection with Perry’s death, including the actor’s assistant and doctors.
The Department of Justice said their investigation into Perry’s death revealed a “broad underground criminal network” that showed those arrested “took advantage” of Perry by selling him ketamine to “enrich themselves.”
“Someone has to tell me why we love taking the piss out of lawyers with lawyer jokes but not doctors,” Maher said. “And yet, doctors killed Matthew Perry, just like they killed Michael Jackson, Prince, Tom Petty, Elvis Presley — doctors have killed more rock stars than twin-engine planes.”
He went on to say, “The medical industrial complex says there are just a few bad apples, but are they? From 2006 to 2019, over 145 billion oxy and hydrocodone pills were prescribed, resulting in over 210,000 overdose deaths, and they weren’t prescribed by the opiate ferry.”
“Matthew Perry asked his doctor, ‘is ketamine right for me?’ And his licensed and trained, legitimate doctor, texted another doctor and wrote, ‘I wonder how much this moron will pay.’ ‘Let’s find out,’” Maher continued. “Apparently, the Hippocratic Oath now means, first, do no harm to your bank account.”
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Maher also took aim at the rehab facility, which he claimed got Perry “addicted to a new drug.”
“Instead of weaning him off the drugs he was on — which is how we naively assume rehab works — they simply gave him a different drug, which accomplished the goal. If the goal was getting Matthew Perry addicted to a new drug, it’s like if he had stopped by the firehouse and they set him on fire,” the host added.
Maher also focused on the rise of “ketamine clinics” in the United States, saying, “It’s what always happens with Western medicine — the insistence on pretending that their respectable drugs aren’t the same as street drugs, but they are. One is paid by insurance and gets you into rehab. One isn’t, and you go to jail. But oxy is heroin, Adderall is meth, and Ritalin is cocaine for kids.”
If you or someone you know has addiction issues, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration‘s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
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