“Only thing that is annoying…”: Matthew Perry’s Honest Feelings About Stepdad Keith Morrison After Breakup of His Parents’ Marriage

It has been a year since the world lost one of the best comedic talents it has ever produced. Matthew Perry, known for his Friends character Chandler Bing, died at 54, on October 28, 2023, leaving behind his legacy and a sense of loss for his loved ones.

Apart from witty one-liners and sarcasm that brought him fame, Perry had a deep and complex family relationship. Perry’s early life was spent between Montreal and Los Angeles, and as he tried to find stability in his blended family, his stepfather Keith Morrison played a crucial role in shaping his life.

Matthew Perry’s Relationship With His Stepdad Keith Morrison

Matthew Perry was born on August 19, 1969, to two “perfectly chiseled” faces, as he described his parents in that way in his memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. His mother Suzanne Langford and father John Bennett Perry separated when he was only nine months old. John went to California to become an actor, while Suzanne brought up Matthew in Canada.

Although they managed their co-parenting duties, the family dynamics changed significantly in 1981 when Matthew Perry’s mother married Keith Morrison, who was then employed as a Canada AM host and later worked on NBC‘s Dateline. Their marriage introduced new members into Perry’s family- his half-sisters Caitlin and Emily.

According to his memoir, Perry sometimes felt like an outsider in the “new family” but at the same time, he understood how much Morrison was significant to them. However, he had one complaint against him. Perry mentioned in his memoir,

The only thing that is annoying about Keith is that he always takes my mother’s side. He is her protector. I can’t tell you how many times my mother has done something that I may have taken issue with and I’ve been told by Keith that it never happened. Some would call this gaslighting, others would call it gaslighting — it’s gaslighting. But my family was held together by one man, and that was Keith Morrison.

The effect that Morrison had on Perry was felt right from the beginning. Speaking to People in 2020, Morrison said that young Matthew was “remarkable” and how he would take him to hockey games where Perry was always “the guy” who scored all the goals.

Perry’s relationship with Morrison was so close that he himself gave his mother away at her wedding to Morrison. In an interview on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Morrison confessed that he always knew Perry was going to be famous, just “not as an actor.” However, he also acknowledged that the role of Chandler Bing was tailor-made for Perry.

Keith Morrison’s Thoughts On Matthew Perry’s Death Investigation

The circumstances under which Perry died have brought new challenges for the family, especially given that investigations indicated ketamine’s involvement. According to the United States Department of Justice, five people, including Perry’s personal assistant and two doctors, were charged in connection with Perry’s death.

In an interview with People, Keith Morrison opened up about the feelings of the family over these exposures. While avoiding direct references to the ongoing investigation, he said, “It makes you angry.”

Morrison also revealed that Perry had warned them about the possibility of his sudden death.

He said to us — I think he said it publicly several times, ‘If I die suddenly, you may be shocked, but you probably won’t be surprised.’

The California branch of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Los Angeles Police Department are currently investigating the case.

Morrison wishes that his stepson’s death was a warning to those involved in supplying dangerous substances. “It doesn’t matter what your professional credentials are. You’re going down, baby,” he said in his interview on Today and mentioned that Perry had initially thought that particular drug would not be addictive or lethal.