Keanu Reeves was not expecting Matthew Perry‘s digs toward him in his memoir, a source exclusively reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly.
“Keanu thought the comments came out of left field,” the insider says. “It’s kind of backfired on Matthew anyway, which is why he had to apologize.”
The Friends alum, 53, surprised readers with his shade at Reeves, 58, in Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. In multiple sections of the book, Perry referred to The Matrix star in a seemingly negative light.
“River [Phoenix] was a beautiful man inside and out — too beautiful for this world, it turned out. It always seems to be the really talented guys who go down. Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?” the Massachusetts native wrote while addressing the death of their mutual friend.
Perry took aim at Reeves again while discussing Chris Farley’s December 1997 death, adding, “I punched a hole through Jennifer Aniston’s dressing room wall when I found out [about Farley’s death].”
He noted in the section: “Keanu Reeves walks among us.”
Following backlash, the 17 Again actor issued a statement, saying, “I’m actually a big fan of Keanu. I just chose a random name, my mistake. I apologize. I should have used my own name instead.”
In the memoir, which was released on Tuesday, November 1, Perry also claimed that he made out with Valerie Bertinelli while she was still married.
“Valerie and I had a long, elaborate make-out session. It was happening — maybe she felt the same way I did. I told her I had thought about doing that for a long time, and she had said it right back to me,” the author detailed before recalling how the Food Network host, 62, “made no mention” of the alleged encounter the following morning. “I quickly got the hint and also played the role I was supposed to, but inside I was devastated.”
Bertinelli, for her part, seemingly reacted to Perry’s claims when she took to TikTok last month to share a video of herself cringing and waving to Taylor Swift‘s song “Anti-Hero.”
“Anyone misbehave in their 20s and early 30s? Are you mortified?” she wrote in the clip as Swift, 32, sang, “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem. It’s me.”
For more on the aftermath of Perry’s memoir, watch the video above and pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on stands now.