Matthew Perry's Friends-Era SNL Sketches Capture His Profound Talent

Actor Matthew Perry died on October 28, at the age of 54. Perry died of an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home, NBC News reports, and his sudden passing is mourned by his family, his many friends in Hollywood, and his many fans. 

Perry, who released the memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing in 2022, is most known  for portraying Chandler Bing on the NBC sitcom Friends from 1994 to 2004. Though Perry was a TV veteran who acted in many projects before and after Friends, the way he delivered Bing's sarcastic, sometimes biting jokes with panache—and more than a dash of vulnerable self-deprecation—is what made Perry's portrayal so memorable. 

Perry brought those sharp comedic skills to 30 Rock's Studio 8H when he hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live, at the height of Friends' popularity on October 4, 1997. How '90s was the episode? The musical guest was "Wonderwall" duo Oasis, it featured classic Will Ferrell sketches like Celebrity Jeopardy! and the Spartan Cheerleaders, and yes, there was a Friends parody. 

RELATED: Friends Creators Speak Out Following Matthew Perry's Death 

SNL honored Perry with a memoriam image toward the end of Nate Bargatze's October 28 episode, along with a moment of silence. Watch two of Matthew Perry's vintage SNL sketches below.

Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry and Courteney Cox pose for photographers as they arrive for the 53rd Annual Golden Globe Awards on January 21, 1996 Photo: MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images

Matthew Perry's "Sarcasm 101" SNL Sketch

In this sketch featuring SNL cast members Norm MacDonald, Cheri Oteri, Ana Gasteyer, Will Ferrell, and Tim Meadows, Perry plays an instructor teaching a "Sarcasm 101" course to a room of eager students. Though a few come close, none reach Perry's masterful ability to communicate wit with dry inflection and a raised eyebrow or five. 

Matthew Perry's Friends parody on SNL

Matthew Perry got to play Matt LeBlanc's Joey in this sketch, in which Colin Quinn plays Chandler as a gay man (echoing an actual plot point from an early Friends episode). 

As an aside, Molly Shannon makes for an incredible Monica, and a huge round of applause to SNL's hair and makeup departments for perfectly capturing Phoebe and Rachel's style.

How do I watch Matthew Perry's SNL episode?

You can stream select clips from Matthew Perry's Saturday Night Live episode in Season 23, Episode 2 on Peacock.