So, I was watching some old episodes of Friends the other night, specifically the one after the Super Bowl. You know the one. And seeing Julia Roberts on screen with Matthew Perry got me thinking.
I had this vague memory, like a little tickle in the back of my brain, that they might have actually dated back then. Was that real? Or did I just make it up because they had chemistry on the show? You know how sometimes you mix up on-screen stuff with real life.
So, I did what I usually do when something like this bugs me. I pulled out my phone and started digging around. Just typed in their names together, seeing what popped up. Took a bit of scrolling through different results.
What I Found Out
Turns out, my memory wasn’t playing tricks on me! They actually were an item. It wasn’t just a show thing.
- It happened around 1995-1996. Right when she did that guest appearance on Friends. Apparently, he was pretty keen to get her on the show and that’s kinda how it started.
- Lots of flirting happened before they even met in person. I read somewhere they exchanged a ton of faxes. Like, actual paper faxes. Kinda funny to think about now with email and texting.
- It wasn’t super long-lived. Seems like it lasted for a few months, maybe close to a year? But not much longer than that.
And apparently, according to stuff Matthew Perry wrote himself later on, he was the one who ended it. Said he felt like he wasn’t enough for her, which is pretty heavy when you think about it. Felt kinda insecure dating this huge movie star.
Honestly, it’s just one of those things. A little slice of 90s celebrity history that you hear about and go, “Oh yeah, I kinda remember that!” It’s interesting looking back at who dated who back in the day. Wild stuff sometimes. Makes you realize how much time has passed, too.
