Back in the ’90s, “Friends” heartthrob Matthew Perry was involved with a series of beautiful actresses, but he was never engaged to either of them until he met someone who was not in the public eye.
On November 26, 2020, the iconic “Friends” actor, then 51, announced his engagement to a lovely 28-year-old non-celebrity. Perry had had many relationships with some of Hollywood’s most stunning actresses over the years, but he had finally decided to settle down with then-fiancée Molly Hurwitz.Perry Was Engaged Once
Perry had met the literary manager in 2018, and the two had been dating ever since. According to Perry, he decided it was time to take the big step, and commit. He said, tongue-in-cheek:
“I decided to get engaged. Luckily, I happened to be dating the greatest woman on the face of the planet at this time.”
At the time, Perry had yet to announce the date for the couple’s wedding, but would have had to lose the little black book stuffed with so many famous names.
Julia Roberts
In 1995, Perry was newly famous, having achieved celebrity status due to his role as Chandler Bing in “Friends.” The sitcom was such a huge hit that movie star A-listers like Julia Roberts were guesting, and that was how the two met.
From making out on camera to a torrid romance was a short step. The couple dated from 1995 to 1996 before breaking up and moving on to other loves. Roberts also married a non-celebrity, Daniel Moder.
Perry’s relationships after his breakup with Roberts were short and sweet until he started dating soap opera actress Maeve Quinlan
Yasmine Bleeth
Perry made one of his alter-ego Chandler Bing’s dreams come true when he dated “Baywatch” actress Yasmine Bleeth. In the series, Chandler’s obsession with Bleeth was a running joke, and he even named a baby chicken after her.Perry dated Bleeth shortly after he broke up with Roberts, but the romance was short-lived and only lasted a few months before both actors moved on.
Neve Campbell
In 1999, Perry was cast in the movie “Three To Tango” opposite Neve Campbell and Dylan McDermott. In the movie, Perry plays an architect who is presumed to be gay and asked to look after a married tycoon’s mistress.
In the plot, Perry’s character falls in love with Campbell, and the actors later continued the romance into real life. The relationship didn’t last past the end of the shoot, and by the premiere, it was over.
Maeve Quinlan
Perry’s relationships after his breakup with Roberts were short and sweet until he started dating soap opera actress Maeve Quinlan, best known as Megan Conley from “The Bold and the Beautiful.”
The two actors dated from 2002 to 2003, and things seemed to be getting pretty serious before they called it quits. Quinlan, who is divorced from actor Tom Sizemore, never remarried.
Lauren Graham
Shortly after his break up with Quinlan in 2003, Perry started dating ravishing blue-eyed brunette Lauren Graham, yet another famous actress.
Graham is best known for her work in the WB series “Gilmore Girls,” and even though the relationship didn’t last, the friendship did. Graham and Perry would go on to star in the 2015 sitcom “The Odd Couple.”
Lizzy Caplan
Perry’s longest relationship was with “Mean Girls” actress Lizzy Caplan. The couple started dating secretly in 2006, and did their best to keep their relationship out of the limelight.
In 2012, they split up, just as discreetly, allegedly because Perry wasn’t ready to commit. It was to be another six years before Perry met the woman he was to marry, Hurwitz.
However, after being engaged for months, he announced in 2021 that they had called off their engagement and parted ways, adding:
“Sometimes things just don’t work out and this is one of them. I wish Molly the best.”
Perry on Looking Forward to Being a Family Man
A little more than a year after announcing the split, Perry revealed that he looked forward to tying the knot and starting a family. In a candid interview in October 2022, he openly talked about his past failed relationships and said:
“That was me afraid. That is what I manifest, something that’s wrong with them. And then I break up with them.” […] I left first because I thought they were going to annihilate me.”
Perry admitted that he had had a lot of “fear” about love in the past but worked through that until he eventually overcame it. As for his future plans at the time, the star said he was now open to the idea of marriage and having kids.
“I’m feeling more confident and I’m not afraid of love anymore, so the next girl I go out with better watch out,” he expressed. In terms of wanting to be a father, Perry shared that he believed he would make a “great” parent, adding, “I can’t wait.”
Life after Friends
Life had not been easy for Perry since the end of “Friends.” The actor, who admitted he had a problem with alcohol and drugs throughout the running of the famous series, also battled an addiction to prescription painkillers.
Perry was prescribed painkillers after a jet ski accident in 1997 and became addicted. He went through rehab and made no secret of his addictions in the hope that he’d be helping others with similar problems.