Whitney Cummings shares how quickly friends will honor Matthew Perry

Fast friendsMax is new friends-inspired game show, will “greatly” honor the deceased Matthew Perryhost, Whitney Cummingstells us.

In an exclusive interview, the 42-year-old comedian talked about how the racing series – which features friends diehards who rotate between trivia, puzzles and games — will pay tribute to the late actor, who played Chandler Bing for 10 seasons of the show.

“There were some special guests who brought it, (and) I felt very present,” Cummings said us. “There’s a kind of bittersweetness there, but such a poignant and deep, deep respect that creeps through the entire Chandler tribute show.”

Perry died aged 54 after drowning at her home in Los Angeles in October 2023. His official cause of death it was later found to be the result of the “acute effects of ketamine,” which can be used to treat opiate abuse. (In his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Awful ThingPerry — who has been vocal about his battle with addiction — opened up about undergoing ketamine therapy.)

Although Cummings is known for cracking jokes, she made it clear that the problem of addiction is no laughing matter. “I really think that a lot of times when there’s a public problem with addiction … there’s a lack of empathy,” she said. “(People think), ‘This guy was a rock star and this is what they do, (or) ‘this guy is rich, he couldn’t control himself.’

“(Addiction) happens to good people (and) people with huge hearts who have everything,” the Good For You podcast host shared, pointing to Perry, who had “money, was on an amazing show (and) had amazing friends , literally and figuratively.”

“This thing really is a disease,” she continued. “It’s not a choice.”

According to Cummings, Perry’s death left a lasting impression to many. “Matthew’s death felt like payback,” she said us. “I’ve seen the conversation really change around addiction and around people I know who use substances recreationally — probably more than they should — (to say): “Okay, let me just go easy on this.”

“I hope on some level (Perry) and his family know that a lot of people I know look at addiction differently,” she added.

In addition to honoring Perry, Fast friends gives loyal fans of the sitcom a chance to test their knowledge of all things Chandler, Ross, Joey, Rachel, Monica and Phoebe. And as a friends fan herself (Cummings declares herself Phoebe “if you just started dating me” and Janice “if you’ve been dating me for a year”), even she was surprised by how difficult some of the challenges were.

“I thought I was in the top 1 percent, but when you meet these competitors, you’re like, ‘That’s wild, you’re making a good choice,'” Cummings explained. “While I spent my time reading stupid news that I later found out wasn’t even true, you just watched friends. You’re a lot happier than me and you have less gray hairs!”

Serving as the show’s host also taught Cummings a few things about herself—in fact, she found she had “big life insights” while filming.

“I’ve learned that even when I know the answer, I’ll give up on it, and I do this all the time in life: I weigh myself, I doubt myself, I guess I’m wrong, I guess I’m stupid,” she continued. “And I was like, ‘No, I knew that (answer).’ Why did I give it up? I got that knowledge about myself (that) I do that in a lot of places.”

Ultimately, Cummings hopes the show, filmed at The Friends Experience: The One in New York, will become an outlet for viewers who tune in. “The most responsible thing you can do at this point is to create content that is escapist,” she added. This show is “pure joy, pure fun and competition – in a cool, healthy way.”

Fast friends premieres Thursday, December 19 on Max.