After learning about Perry’s passing, Trudeau posted a touching tribute on X: “Matthew Perry’s passing is shocking and saddening. I’ll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them.Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved – and you will be missed.”
Trudeau’s tweet sparked interest among netizens about Perry’s early years in Canada and soon found clips online from 2017 when the ‘Friends’ star told a talk show host about the time he ‘beat up’ a young Trudeau.
“I have a story about him [Trudeau] that I am not proud of … My friend and I, we were in fifth grade in Canada, we actually beat up Justin Trudeau,” Perry said, adding that the confrontation was sparked by “pure jealousy”.
“I think he was excelling in a sport,” Perry said of Trudeau. “His dad was the prime minister … but I don’t think that’s the reason we beat him up … He was the only kid in school that we could beat up.”
“I am not bragging about this. It is terrible. I was a stupid kid and I didn’t want to beat him up,” the actor added.
Ever the comedian, Perry found a silver lining in the entire ordeal. “I think it was rather instrumental in him going to such great heights and becoming the prime minister,” he argued.
Trudeau, to his credit, expressed a sense of humour about the whole incident. Shortly after the interview, Trudeau had tweeted: “I have been giving it some thought, and you know what, who hasn’t wanted to punch Chandler? How about a rematch @MatthewPerry?”