Matthew Perry, who has spoken about erectile dysfunction
Health

Matthew Perry Says His Penis "Didn't Work" for Years

He's not the only celebrity who has talked—or hinted about—erectile dysfunction.

For most of his teenage years Matthew Perry truly believed that his penis “didn’t work.” But Perry, who opens up about his struggle with substance abuse in his new memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, didn’t consider the reason could be from how much booze he was drinking.

After he started drinking at the age of 14, he considered himself seriously impotent for her early adult years. “Sex sounded awfully fun, but it was not in my arsenal,” the now 53-year-old wrote.

It wasn’t until Perry met his ex, Tricia Fisher (the sister of Carrie Fisher’s sister) that he realized his penis worked just fine. “Sure enough… sheer glory for two whole minutes,” he joked in the book.

Anywhere from one-third to 76.5 percent of men have experienced some form of erectile dysfunction—the inability to keep and maintain an erection—and the sexual problems Perry faced in the past are incredibly common. Or in the words of Chandler Bing, “could erectile dysfunction be any more normal?”

No matter how normal it is, ED can be embarrassing to talk about (though trust us, your doctor has heard it all before). So when successful celebrities are vulnerable about it first, it might make it easier for regular guys to do the same.

Fortunately, there are several other famous men who have spoken out about ED over the years, and hopefully made anyone else who’s dealing with it feel less alone.

Michael Douglas, who has spoken openly about erectile dysfunction

Michael Douglas

Michael Douglas has publicly thanked erectile dysfunction medications for his 22-year-long marriage with Catherine Zeta Jones, who is 25 years younger than him. (Just a few more years and they’ll be married as long as their age gap. Which anniversary is that?)

All joking aside, in an interview with AARP Magazine in 2011, Douglas said lovingly of both his spouse and the drugs: “God bless her that she likes older guys. And some wonderful enhancements have happened in the last few years—Viagra, Cialis—that can make us all feel younger.”

God bless, indeed.

Mike Ditka, who has spoken about erectile dysfunction

Mike Ditka

Mike Ditka is much more than a former football player, coach, and television commentator. When he signed on to be the spokesman for a Viagra competitor Levitra in 2003, Ditka also became a pioneer of impotency.

“I do have ED, erectile dysfunction,” Ditka told the Chicago Tribune at the time. “I suffer from it… I’m not embarrassed to talk about it. I’m not half a man, I just need help and that’s what this pill is all about. What’s there not to talk about? You should talk to your wife about it and talk to your doctor about it. It doesn’t embarrass me.”

That was a huge touch-down for raising awareness.

Big Boi singing on stage

Big Boi

As anyone who’s suffered from it realizes, it’s hard to be completely open about erectile dysfunction (no pun intended). But for some celebrities like Big Boi, who was arrested carrying Viagra, ecstasy and MDMA in leaving a Miami cruise ship in 2011, the evidence kind of speaks for itself. 

As Perry experienced as a teen, substance induced ED is still ED. The Outkast rapper didn’t speak out about the condition, but he didn’t defensively deny it either. Instead, he maintained a sense of humor upon his release, tweeting“Shiiiiit they said it was the Love Boat.”

erectile dysfunction medication Sildenafil
Could Low T Be Causing Your ED?

Hone’s test, which you can take from the privacy of your home, can analyze your testosterone levels.

Ben Affleck, who has been open about ED

Ben Affleck

Much like Mr. Boi, Ben Affleck has never explicitly admitted to having erectile dysfunction, but the actor admitted to trying Viagra in a 1999 interview with Playboy

“I almost had a heart attack. I had to sit down, and all it did was make me sweat and feel dizzy and really unnerved,” Jennifer Lopez’s husband said at the time. “I felt no sexual side effects whatsoever.”

While he didn’t say, he had ED, he did go on to describe the experience as one of his “biggest disappointments,” potentially implying that there was a problem to solve. 

Either way, if Affleck ever decides to speak out directly, he would surely be the hero Gotham needs. 

erectile dysfunction medication Sildenafil
Could Low T Be Causing Your ED?

Hone’s test, which you can take from the privacy of your home, can analyze your testosterone levels.

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