Jennifer Aniston told fans the best way to honour Matthew Perry's life

Simple and beautiful

Jennifer Aniston attends the 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 14, 2024 in Santa Monica, California.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Jennifer Aniston has simply beautiful instructions for fans of the late Matthew Perry who wish to keep the brilliant actor's memory alive.

Asked about this on the red carpet at Sunday's Critics Choice Awards, the Just Go With It star said just two words to Entertainment Tonight: "celebrate him." And really, what else is there to say?

At the Sunday ceremony, Jennifer was nominated for best actress in a drama series for her role on The Morning Show alongside Reese Witherspoon, though both actresses lost out to Succession's Sarah Snook.

As for Jennifer and Matthew, they were longtime costars on the legendary TV series Friends in the late '90s and early 2000s.

During and following Friends, the 17 Again actor sadly struggled with addiction, and for one reason or another, he and his costars didn't keep touch as much as they might have.

However, around the time Matthew released his memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing in 2022, he revealed to journalist Diane Sawyer that Jen had been "the one that reached out the most." He continued: "You know, I’m really grateful to her for that."

In November, Jennifer also took it upon herself to encourage fans to support the Matthew Perry Foundation, which aims to help those like Matthew who struggle with addiction.

On Instagram Stories, Jen wrote: "Please join me and Matty’s family in supporting his foundation – which is working to help those suffering with addiction. He would have been grateful for the love."

Jennifer and the other four living stars of Friends took their time before expressing their grief about Matthew's untimely passing to the world.

When she felt ready to share her feelings publicly, she wrote on social media: "Matty, I love you so much and I know you are now completely at peace and out of any pain. I talk to you every day… sometimes I can almost hear you saying 'could you BE any crazier?'

"Rest little brother.

"You always made my day…"

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Iris Goldsztajn
Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.