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For other interviews and archival clips, verify the original source, date, format, and context before relying on what a search result or social post says. A clip that is publicly viewable may still require separate permission for publication, editing, or redistribution.
Where to find Matthew Perry’s Diane Sawyer interview
Use ABC’s official program listing as the first stop for Matthew Perry – The Diane Sawyer Interview. ABC lists a runtime of 42 minutes and 18 seconds, marks the program NR, and indicates closed captions. The listing is the most direct verified route to the program, but its presence alone does not establish that playback is currently available everywhere.
ABC’s October 21, 2022 press release records the original release plan: the one-hour special was scheduled to air on ABC on October 28, with Hulu availability the next day. That is historical scheduling information, not confirmation that Hulu still carries the program or that it is accessible in a particular region. Check the official listing and licensed distributor directly for current availability and terms.
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The two durations are not necessarily contradictory: the press release describes a one-hour special or broadcast slot, while the program listing displays a 42:18 runtime. Use the displayed runtime when identifying the listed program, and do not describe the listing as a full one-hour video. A broadcast slot and the runtime shown for a program file are different kinds of information; the sources do not explain the difference further, so there is no reason to guess at an explanation.
The program listing also gives practical identification details: its title, NR rating, runtime, and caption indication. When comparing search results, these details can help you tell whether a page refers to the same listed program or merely to an excerpt, article, or separate appearance. The listing is a strong starting point because it comes from the broadcaster, but it is not a directory of all Perry interviews or appearances.
What the interview covers
ABC’s synopsis says Perry discussed success, fame, addiction, his life at the time, and behind-the-scenes material from Friends. ABC News’ October 28, 2022 report includes excerpts attributed to Perry in his conversation with Sawyer. It quotes him explaining why he wanted to speak publicly about addiction: “Obviously, because I was on ‘Friends,’ more people will listen to me. So I’ve got to take advantage of that, and I’ve got to help as many people as I can,” Perry told Sawyer. The attribution matters: this is a statement from the interview as reported by ABC News, not a general quotation detached from its context.
The broadcast and the report serve related but distinct purposes. The listing helps locate the program; the report provides ABC News’ written account and selected excerpts. If you need to cite a particular sentence, keep the reported wording tied to Perry’s conversation with Sawyer and retain ABC News’ attribution. If you need to assess how a remark fits into the recorded conversation, look for the program itself rather than treating a short excerpt as the whole interview.
How to verify an interview or archival clip
Search results can mix a complete program with short extracts, trailers, news reports that embed older footage, and unattributed uploads. Before relying on a clip, establish where it came from and what it actually represents. Use the checks below whether you are watching for personal research, preparing a citation, or considering footage for a publication or production.
- Find the original publisher. Prefer the broadcaster, production company, or established news organization’s own program or archive page. For the Sawyer interview, ABC’s listing and release identify the publisher and program. A search result on another site may be useful as a lead, but a repost alone does not confirm provenance.
- Identify the format. Determine whether you have a full interview, excerpt, trailer, or a later report using archival material. A news article containing a clip is not necessarily the original program. Be specific in your notes: “excerpt from an interview” is safer than describing a brief extract as the complete conversation.
- Record the identifying details. Note the outlet, interviewer, interviewee, program or segment title, original air date, and stated subject. Keep the page’s publication date separate from the date the interview was recorded or broadcast; they may differ. ABC’s October 28, 2022 report, for example, was published in connection with an interview whose original broadcast was scheduled for that date. A later page can also embed or discuss older material, so its publication date should not be mistaken for the clip’s date.
- Trace reposts to their source. If a clip appears on another account or site, look for the original outlet’s publication and compare its title, context, and footage. A watermark-free copy or anonymous upload is a lead to investigate, not proof of authenticity. Do not treat the absence of a watermark as proof that a video is original, complete, or authorized.
- Check captions or transcripts when accuracy matters. ABC’s listing indicates closed captions for the Sawyer program. Captions can help with names and wording, but retain the program’s attribution and context when quoting or describing a segment. A caption indication tells you captions are available on the listing; it does not establish that a separate repost has accurate captions or that a transcript is complete.
- Compare the clip with the claim being made. Ask whether the source supports the description you plan to use. A later news report that embeds archival material is evidence that the report used that clip, not automatically evidence of the full program’s contents. Likewise, an interview about Friends is not itself sitcom footage. Label the source type plainly.
- Verify access and rights separately. A page that lets you watch a video does not establish permission to download, edit, reproduce, or redistribute it. Contact the relevant rights holder for clearance before production or publication use. Current viewing access and rights to reuse are separate questions.
A compact source note can make this process easier to repeat: record the outlet, title, interviewer, interviewee, original date, page publication date, whether you reviewed a full program or excerpt, and the page where you found it. Add any stated subject or context that matters to your use. This is not a substitute for a license, but it helps prevent accidental misattribution and makes it easier to retrace a clip’s provenance later.
How to assess footage from Friends and other archives
For archival footage, the central question is not simply whether a clip looks authentic. It is whether you can identify the original program, date, publisher, and context. A broadcast excerpt, a cast interview, and a later retrospective may all show Perry, but they are different kinds of evidence and should be described accurately.
Use the same provenance checks for material presented as Friends footage: look for an established publisher or archive, a program or episode identification, and enough context to distinguish the original scene from commentary or a later compilation. Do not present a repost as an original broadcast source unless you can trace it back to one. The available verified sources here do not establish a comprehensive public archive or a catalog of every Perry appearance, so avoid implying that one listing covers all archival footage.
Be alert to labels that blur source types. An interview about the show may include behind-the-scenes discussion, but it is not the same as a scene from an episode. A cast conversation may revisit the series without continuing its fictional story. If you are describing a clip, use the narrowest accurate label you can support: program or segment, date, and whether it is a scene, interview, reunion discussion, excerpt, or retrospective.
Context also helps prevent a misleading description. The Associated Press notes that Friends ran from 1994 to 2004 and distinguishes the 2021 Friends: The Reunion—a cast discussion—from a continuation of the fictional story. If a clip comes from the reunion, call it a reunion discussion rather than a new episode or continuation of the sitcom. The AP report is useful for that distinction, but it is not a comprehensive footage archive.
When comparing candidate sources, weigh several factors together rather than relying on a single visual clue. An official publisher and clear program identification support provenance. A contemporaneous date and stated topic help establish context. A complete program may answer questions an excerpt cannot, while an excerpt may be the only material cited in a later report. Captions or a transcript can help verify wording, but neither settles who owns the footage or whether it can be reused.
Viewing is not the same as permission to reuse
ABC’s 2022 release states that its press photographs are copyrighted and intended for editorial use connected with publicizing current programming. It says those images may not be archived, altered, duplicated, resold, retransmitted, or used for other purposes without written permission. Those terms concern the release’s press photography; they should not be treated as a complete licensing policy for the interview footage.
The release does not specify a current footage-licensing workflow. If you need broadcast-quality video, want to excerpt a clip, or plan to publish or distribute footage, obtain permission or a license from the relevant rights holder. Do not infer reuse rights from a public program page, a stream you can access, or another account’s upload.
Keep the rights question distinct from the source-verification question. Confirming that a clip really came from ABC or another original publisher helps you describe it accurately; it does not, by itself, clear the clip for your intended use. Similarly, the press release’s specific limits on press photographs should not be extended into claims about the interview-video licensing process. The available information does not identify a current clearance contact or set of terms for broadcast-quality footage, so confirm those details directly with ABC or the applicable rights holder before making plans.
If you only want to watch, use the official listing or a licensed distributor and check current regional availability. If you intend to reuse material, ask the rights holder about the particular footage and use you have in mind. These are separate paths: one addresses access, the other permission.
Choose the right source for the question
| What you need | Best verified starting point | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Locate the Diane Sawyer program | ABC program listing | Program identity, 42:18 listed runtime, NR rating, and closed-caption indication |
| Check original release context | ABC press release, October 21, 2022 | Planned ABC broadcast on October 28 and Hulu availability the following day |
| Check interview topics and reported excerpts | ABC News report, October 28, 2022 | ABC’s account of the interview and excerpts attributed to Perry speaking with Sawyer |
| Distinguish sitcom history from the reunion | Associated Press report, October 29, 2023 | Friends’ 1994–2004 run and the 2021 reunion’s format as a cast discussion |
These sources answer different questions; none should be stretched beyond what it documents. In particular, historical release plans do not establish present-day access, and an article that quotes an interview is not a substitute for verifying the original program when you need the audiovisual source.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFor practical comparison, ask: Who published the candidate material? Can you identify the interviewer and program? Is the date the original air date or merely the page’s publication date? Are you looking at the full program or an excerpt? Is there a caption or transcript indicator? Finally, are you asking where to watch, or whether you may reuse it? These checks address provenance, context, completeness, accessibility, and rights without assuming that every result has been independently audited.
The specific statistic to use for the ABC listing is its displayed 42:18 runtime, observed on the official program page in 2026. The press release’s description of a one-hour special refers to the original broadcast plan. No audience-size, archive-count, or footage-volume statistic is established by the sources cited here, so none should be inferred.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When a book is a better source
If you want Perry’s account in his own written words, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is a related source, not an audiovisual archive. ABC connected the interview to the book’s release, and the Associated Press identifies it as Perry’s memoir. The AP report quotes the memoir’s opening: “Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.” Attribute that wording to the memoir as quoted by the Associated Press, rather than presenting it as something Perry said in an interview.
A memoir can provide written first-person context, while an interview or archival clip preserves a particular recorded conversation or performance. Choose the source type that fits your purpose, and keep the distinction clear in captions, narration, and citations. If your question is what Perry said in the Sawyer conversation, consult the interview or ABC’s reporting on it; if you are looking for his written account, the memoir is the appropriate separate source.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I watch Matthew Perry’s Diane Sawyer interview?
Start with ABC’s official listing for Matthew Perry – The Diane Sawyer Interview. ABC lists a 42:18 runtime and closed captions. Its October 2022 release said the special was scheduled for ABC on October 28 and Hulu the following day, but that historical schedule does not confirm current or country-specific availability. Check the listing and licensed distributor directly.
Where can I find old interviews with Matthew Perry?
Begin with broadcaster, production-company, or established news-organization archives. For the Diane Sawyer interview, ABC’s program listing and October 2022 release are the clearest verified starting points. For any other result, confirm its original publisher, interviewer, program title, and date; the available sources do not establish a complete archive of every Perry interview.
How can I tell whether a Matthew Perry clip is from the original interview?
Trace it to the original publisher’s program or archive page, then compare the title, interviewer, date, and context. Check whether the material is a full interview, an excerpt, a trailer, or a later news report embedding an older clip. Treat anonymous uploads and watermark-free copies as leads, not proof of authenticity or permission.
Where can I find archival footage of Matthew Perry on Friends?
The sources here do not identify a comprehensive public archive or catalog of every Friends appearance. Look for a reputable publisher or archive and a clear episode or program identification, then distinguish original sitcom scenes from interviews, reunions, retrospectives, and reposted compilations. The Associated Press notes that Friends ran from 1994 to 2004 and that the 2021 Friends: The Reunion was a cast discussion, not a continuation of the fictional story.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchDoes a public video page mean I can download or reuse the footage?
No. A page that lets you view a program does not by itself grant rights to download, edit, reproduce, or redistribute it. ABC’s 2022 release expressly restricts reuse of its press photographs without written permission, but does not set out a current licensing workflow for the interview footage. Contact the relevant rights holder for permission or a license.
Is the interview a full hour?
ABC’s October 2022 press release describes a one-hour special and planned broadcast slot, while the official program listing displays a runtime of 42:18. Use the listing’s displayed runtime when identifying that program; the sources do not explain the difference, so avoid claiming that the listed video itself runs a full hour.
The Bottom Line
For the Diane Sawyer interview, ABC’s official listing is the clearest verified starting point: it identifies the program and shows a 42:18 runtime and closed captions. Use the original publisher, date, interviewer, format, and context to verify other clips. Check current access with a licensed distributor, and seek separate permission before reusing footage—public viewing is not a reuse license.
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