- The Washington Times - Thursday, March 16, 2017

“Friends” star Matthew Perry revealed on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Wednesday night that he and a friend “beat up” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in elementary school.

Mr. Perry, 47, said he and his friend Chris Murray were attending fifth grade in Ottawa and the younger Mr. Trudeau, now 45, made for an easy target.

“I have a story about him that I’m not proud of,” the actor said contritely. “We actually beat up Justin Trudeau.

“We both beat him up. I think he was excelling in a sport that we weren’t as — so it was pure jealousy,” he continued. “His dad [Pierre Trudeau] was the prime minster of Canada, but I don’t think that’s the reason we beat him up. I think he was the only kid in school we could beat up.”

Mr. Perry said the Liberal Party leader didn’t have any security detail as the child of a head of government, to which Mr. Kimmel responded, “That would never happen to Barron Trump. You’d be in the stockade right now. You’d be in Russia somewhere.”

Though the conversation remained lighthearted, Mr. Perry made it clear that he was not proud of that moment in his childhood.

“I’m not bragging about this,” he said. “This is terrible. I was a stupid kid. I didn’t want to beat him up.

“But I think it was rather instrumental in him going to such great heights in becoming the prime minister,” he added. “I think he said, ’Well, I’m going to rise above this, and I’m going to become prime minister.’”

Mr. Perry, who remains a dual citizen in America and Canada, said he hasn’t had any contact with Mr. Trudeau in their adult lives.

“No, no. I feel shame,” he told Mr. Kimmel. “I don’t wanna think about it.”

Mr. Perry was raised by his mother, Suzanne Morrison, who served as a press aide for the late Pierre Trudeau when he was prime minister, according to a 2002 interview with The New York Times.

• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.

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