Perry has always claimed it was difficult for him to rewatch the iconic show because it reminds him of his struggle with addiction.
Perry famously suffered from addiction during the taping of the show, and as a result of the external effects of the substances he was under, all he would notice is how he looked. As he told Diane Swayer, “…I could go, ‘Drinking.’ ‘Opiates.’ ‘Cocaine.'” just by observing his weight and how he carried it in different episodes. But, Perry said he’s ready to start watching the show again after seeing its positive impact on generations after the show was released.
Perry told Diane Sawyer in an interview ,”That’s very hard to watch. Because in this weird way I feel sorry for that guy. That’s a guy that’s out of control.” Perry wants to use his voice to help other people suffering from addiction, even though it’s not fun to discuss such a stressful topic. As a successful survivor, he states “I’m so grateful to not be that anymore.”
