Matthew Perry has left Friends fans in awe after revealing that - not only does he have a famous father - but he was also a character in the hit sitcom.
Ever since its debut back in 1994, Friends has been a mainstay of pop culture. Undoubtedly one of the most successful and popular sitcoms ever, the fandom surrounding the show is as passionate now as it was 18 years ago when the show aired its final episode.
Speaking as a huge Friends fan who has seen every episode countless times, I thought there was no trivia left for lovers of the show to learn. But it turns out I was wrong, as I never knew that Matthew Perry's dad actually appeared in the show.
Of course, 54-year-old Perry was a huge part of why the show became so successful in the first place. His comedic timing as the hapless but lovable Chandler Bing made him the perfect fit for a show about a bunch of 20-somethings living in New York City.
And after appearing in all 234 episodes of the show, I thought that there was nothing left to learn about both Perry and Bing. For example, die-hard fans will know that Chandler's children are called Jack and Erika, that the sister he kissed was Mary-Angela, and that he worked in statistical analysis and data reconfiguration.
And even more devoted fans will know that Perry is missing the tip of one of his fingers after an accident in his childhood, that he one briefly dated Julia Roberts like his character does on the show, and that he was the reason Bruce Willis appeared in season six.
But did you ever know that Perry's father was also an actor, who also appeared in Friends? Because I didn't.
On Monday (October 16), Perry took to Instagram to share a photo of him and his dad, John, enjoying some quality time together. "Here is me, and my father John, both holding a beverage," Perry captioned the photo.
And, as it turns out, his dad is none other than actor John Bennett Perry - who has appeared in movies like Independence Day (1996), George of the Jungle (1997), and Farewell to the King (1989).
But John Bennett Perry also appeared in a single episode of Friends - season four's The One With Rachel's New Dress.
He played the rich French-hating father of Rachel's boyfriend, Joshua.
Fans of the show will remember the character, Mr. Burgin, returning home early from a vacation while Rachel and Joshua were hoping to have a romantic evening alone. As a result, Rachel ends up having dinner with Joshua's family in her negligee - which she tried to pass off as a new prototype dress from Bloomingdale's.
After making the connection, fans flooded Matthew's comments section with their delight at the connection. "Wait! He was Joshua’s dad in the episode where Jennifer was wearing a nightie as a dress!! His best line 'I like this one, she seems smart,'" one fan wrote.
A second replied: "I never knew that was Matthew Perry’s dad. But I do recognize him from that episode. It’s one of my favorites!"
And after one Instagram user pointed out that Mr. Perry appeared in the show, one surprised fan replied: "No way! I didn't know that! I watch Friends constantly!"
And funnily enough, this isn't the first time both the Perry father and son have appeared in the same project. Back in 2004, the Perrys appeared as the estranged father and son Gregory and Murray in Scrubs.
Additionally, the father and son also appeared together in the 1997 movie Fools Rush In.
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