Actor Matthew Perry recently released his memoir where he gets candid about his struggles with addiction.

One particular passage from the book which aimed a mean-spirited comment at Keanu Reeves, caused backlash online and resulted in an apology from Perry.

In the book, Perry talks about his close friendship with the late River Phoenix and his reaction to Phoenix’s death from an overdose in 1993.

He writes, “River 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?”

Perry repeats a similar sentiment later in the book while discussing his reaction to the death of Chris Farley, who also died from an overdose.

He writes, “I punched a hole through Jennifer Aniston’s dressing room wall when I found out. Keanu Reeves walks among us. I had to promote ‘Almost Heroes’ two weeks after he died; I found myself publicly discussing his death from drugs and alcohol. I was high the entire time.”

The internet came to Reeves’ defense as he is one of the few celebrities who remains almost universally beloved and is considered a genuinely lovely person.

Some speculated that Perry may have had a personal grudge against Reeves, while others pointed out the cruelty of the comment considering Reeves’ experiences with grief and loss.

Perry quickly issued an apology to People Magazine, stating, “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.”

This apology caused confusion among some as Reeves was not a random name at all, as he and Perry were once close friends with River Phoenix.

In an interview with Esquire, Reeves discussed his grief over the loss of Phoenix and referred to him as “a really special person, so original, unique, smart, talented, fiercely creative. Thoughtful. Brave. And funny. And dark. And light. It was great to have known him.”

Perhaps Perry’s comment was a bad joke that didn’t land as taste in humor has changed over time and mean-spirited humor is no longer as popular as it once was.

It is now commonly associated with right-wing provocateurs or fading comedians trying to remain relevant through controversy.