Kenneth Iwamasa, the personal assistant to the late Hollywood actor Matthew Perry, has begged the court for mercy ahead of his sentencing. According to him, he found it impossible to say no to the star’s constant demands for drugs.
In new court papers filed before his sentencing on May 27, 2026, Iwamasa challenged claims by prosecutors that he could have easily refused to give the Friends star ketamine.
Iwamasa is facing a substantial prison sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine. The charge stems from his role in procuring the controlled substance and administering the final injections to Perry on October 28, 2023, the day the actor died from the acute effects of the drug.
In the defence papers, Iwamasa’s lawyer argued that the assistant acted only on Perry’s orders as his boss, not on his own. The lawyer noted that prosecutors failed to understand the pressure Iwamasa faced while working for the famous actor.
“He could not ‘simply say no.’ That inability had tragic consequences,” the court document stated, admitting that the assistant’s actions led to the actor’s death.
This plea for a lighter sentence follows Matthew Perry’s mother and sister writing emotional letters to the court. The family members strongly blamed Iwamasa, saying he broke the actor’s trust and helped feed the drug habit that killed him.
