Anti-Vaxxer ‘Ghouls’ Wrongfully Blame Matthew Perry’s Tragic Passing On COVID Vaccine: ‘Disgraceful’

Matthew Perry, who won over hearts with his sardonic roommate Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom Friends was discovered dead at his Los Angeles home on October 28, after drowning in his bathroom.

As soon as the news of Perry's death hit social media, even before an official cause of death was determined, a number of well-known right-wing/anti-vax accounts on X (formerly Twitter) quickly jumped to all the wrong conclusions behind the actor's death, including Kandiss Taylor, a former Republican candidate for Georgia governor and the current GOP chair of Georgia's 1st congressional district, per Rolling Stone. Taylor tweeted, "What??? Was he vaccinated?"

Another popular anti-vax handle, Robby Starbuck, who among other things, lost the election to the U.S. House to represent Tennessee's 5th Congressional District, tweeted with a screenshot of Perry's vaccination picture, "The call was for a suspected cardiac arrest. While anything is possible, many will point out that Matthew was a big supporter of the COVID-19 vaccines and even sold shirts saying 'Could I BE Any More Vaccinated?' so I think it’s fair to ask that it be investigated as a potential cause of any cardiac issues."

As if that wasn't enough, a group opposed to vaccinations changed Perry's Wikipedia entry to read, "It is unclear whether the drowning was due to complications from the COVID-19 vaccine." Since then, it has been modified.

Many people jumped in to correct the anti-vax misinformation. Popular journalist Victoria Brownworth took to social media and slammed the rumor mill. "People are reeling over the sudden death of iconic actor Matthew Perry and the anti-vaxxer ghouls are out claiming it was the COVID vaccine that killed him," she wrote on Twitter, adding, "These people made my life hell after my wife died suddenly. Don't do this. You are adding more grief to grieving people."

Dietmar Pichler, a disinformation analyst, tweeted, "The way conspiracy theorists exploit the passing of the great actor Matthew Perry with their anti-vaxxer agenda is disgusting." Another Twitter user wrote, "F**king disgraceful that anti-vaxxer idiots, immediately jumped on to Matthew Perry's death and said it was because he was vaccinated. If you genuinely think this way you can p**s right off."

While the anti-vax community enjoys nothing more than jumping to the conclusion that the COVID-19 vaccine is to blame for the unfounded deaths of all celebrities who have received vaccinations, their choice to do so with Perry is particularly outrageous in light of the actor's extensive and well-documented history of health concerns resulting from his drug issues. “I would fake back injuries. I would fake migraine headaches. I had eight doctors going at the same time,” the actor told The New York Times in 2022. “I would wake up and have to get 55 Vicodin that day, and figure out how to do it.”