“Never attempted to interchange his dad, ’motive dads are dads, however I used to be there for him and he knew it," said Keith about his courting with Matthew.
By Brandon CharlesMay 22 2024, Published 2:16 p.m. ET
You probably know Matthew Perry's stepdad. Not know-know, but you probably recognize him and think you know him the same way you thought you knew Matthew. The two guys are even on the same television network. One of them has been on the same network since 1995.
While Matthew’s dad John Bennett Perry was a fellow actor guest star on Friends and shared the screen with his son in 1997's Fools Rush In, Matthew's stepdad didn’t need to use that show to get some air time on NBC. In fact, Matthew’s stepdad may be one of the few people who has been on air more than his stepson. He's one of the longest personalities on Dateline.
Dateline's Keith Morrison married Suzanne Perry in 1981 when Matthew was 12 years old. Suzanne and John Bennett Perry got divorced when Matthew was one.
Keith and Suzanne are still married and he played a large role in Matthew’s life. But Keith didn’t ever try to take the place of Matthew’s dad. In an episode of Hoda Kotb’s Making Space podcast, the Dateline anchor said he, “Never tried to replace his dad, ’cause dads are dads, but I was there for him and he knew it. And we were close.”
In the same episode, Keith also spoke about Matthew’s untimely passing. "There’s some new aspect of it that attacks your mind, and, you know, it’s now not simple, especially for his mom. I don’t think I’m giving freely an excessive amount of through announcing that towards the tip of his life, they were nearer than I had noticed them for decades, and texting each and every different repeatedly and him sharing things with her that the majority middle-aged males don’t percentage with their mothers."
Speaking on the mindset Matthew was in before his death, Keith opened up about the comedic actor being in a good place. "It’s a supply of convenience, but also, he didn’t get to have his 3rd act, and that’s now not honest. And as he stated himself, ‘If I suddenly died, other folks could be surprised, but no longer too many of us would be shocked.’ And he was once right."
In an Oct 1, 2020, interview with People, Keith spoke about watching Matthew grow. "He's a kind of individuals who at all times is the center of the room for a explanation why and it was once so as a kid. On the hockey crew, I used to take him off to his hockey games on Saturday mornings. It used to be like Matthew and the hockey group. He used to be the one who scored all of the targets. He was the guy. The same on the tennis court docket. He used to be extremely, extremely excellent on the tennis courtroom and really intense. He's an intense, proficient, centered persona. He's very vibrant."
In addition to Matthew, Keith had a kid from a previous marriage. His son Michael used to be born in 1974. Since Keith and Suzanne got married Forty three years ago, they'd four additional children — Caitlin, born in 1981; Emily, born in 1985; Willy, born in 1987; and Madeleine, born in 1989. Keith and Suzanne also are proud grandparents to 4 grandchildren.
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