Are We Honoring Matthew Perry, or Just Selling His Tragedy?
Hey there,
There’s a new documentary about Matthew Perry coming out, promising never-before-seen footage, new details, and an in-depth look at his final days. And, okay, I have to ask—Is this honoring him, or are we just running the Hollywood tragedy playbook all over again?
Look, I get it. Perry meant a lot to people. He was more than just Chandler Bing—he was the guy who made sarcastic humor an art form, who proved that romantic comedies could still be sharp, and who spent his later years trying to help others struggling with addiction. His story is important.
But here’s the thing: Hollywood loves a tragedy, and we, the media (yes, including me, writing this article right now), have to ask ourselves—are we talking about Perry because his story deserves to be told, or because his name still sells?
Let’s not pretend we haven’t seen this before. Every time a beloved star passes away under tragic circumstances, cue the documentaries, the exposés, the endless news cycles dissecting their final moments.
And sure, sometimes they shine a light on important issues. But more often than not, they’re just another way to keep a name trending for profit.
It’s a pattern as predictable as it is unsettling. We saw it with Amy Winehouse. We saw it with Robin Williams. We saw it with Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and countless others.
The second they’re gone, the same industry that often ignored or even profited from their struggles suddenly turns their lives into a spectacle.
Books, docuseries, “never-before-heard” recordings, dramatic reenactments—everything is fair game. Their pain, their battles, their personal demons all become marketable content, polished, repackaged, and sold back to the same audience that once adored them.
And yeah, I’ll admit it—I’ve watched some of it, just like everyone else.
But the more I think about it, the more it feels like an endless cycle of exploitation.
We celebrate them in death in a way we rarely did in life. Instead of appreciating their talent when they were here, we dissect their downfalls after they’re gone. And for what? More streaming numbers, more book sales, more think pieces that try to “uncover the truth” about what led to their demise.
It’s exhausting. It’s disheartening. And frankly, I don’t want to keep feeding into it. Honestly, I’d rather spend my time enjoying the things that made me love entertainment in the first place.
Give me Fools Rush In with Salma Hayek and Matthew Perry. Give me The Whole Nine Yards with Bruce Willis. Heck, throw in The Whole Ten Yards while you’re at it.
Or better yet, let me lose myself in any episode from ten seasons of Friends. Because at the end of the day, I’d rather revisit the joy they gave us than another “shocking” deep dive into their darkest moments.
So where’s the line? When does honoring a legacy turn into exploiting it?
Maybe the answer is intent. If this documentary exists to hold people accountable—if it exposes the flaws in the system that failed Perry—then maybe it does serve a purpose. Maybe it does matter.
But if it’s just another polished tragedy reel, a way for networks to profit off of someone else’s pain without doing anything to change the cycle, then yeah… it’s just business as usual.
And that brings us to an uncomfortable truth: Is even this article guilty of the same thing?
Because let’s be real—writing about Perry’s life, his struggles, his legacy, it’s all part of the same media ecosystem. The difference, I hope, is that I’m not here to sensationalize his death. I’m here to ask: What do we do with this story?
If we stop talking about it entirely, do we let the people responsible walk away without consequences? But if we keep talking about it without demanding change, are we just keeping the cycle going?
There’s no easy answer. But maybe that’s the point—maybe we need to start questioning why we consume tragedy the way we do.
Because until we figure that out, Hollywood will keep churning out these posthumous exposés, the headlines will keep rolling, and the next beloved celebrity who dies too soon will get the same treatment.
And honestly? I think Matthew Perry deserved better.
– Pop Culture Polly
Mike worked in the radio industry for 35 years which means sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek, satirical, trash talking characters to remind you laughter is good for the soul! Let’s have some fun with entertainment, movies and TV, sports, budget food and games, lifestyle and we’ll get ridiculous.
