Matt LeBlanc’s father claims he was “cut off” from the “Friends” star nine years ago after a petty fight, according to a new report.
Paul LeBlanc, a 79-year-old Vietnam veteran, told The Sun he had to move out of his home after his spat with Matt, 53, left him on hard financial times.
“I’ve been living without any contact for nine years and it is still hard to believe what has happened,” Paul told The Sun in a new interview. “I’ve been cut off and locked out of my house over a humiliating argument about money and a motorbike.”
Paul claims that Matt’s massive financial success over the course of his career, especially from his 10 seasons on “Friends,” changed him as a person.
“The problem is that when someone has money, you don’t get into their lifestyle unless they want you there, and they can shut you down,” Paul said. “Matt is erratic with me and he has a short temper. One minute he is nice, the next he is cutting your throat — not literally, obviously.”
He added, “I’m an old man now and I live off social security. If it wasn’t for my savings, I wouldn’t be able to survive.”
But LeBlanc’s rep says there is a much different side to the story.
“To put this in perspective, Matt’s father abandoned Matt and his mother when he was an infant,” the rep said in a statement to Page Six.
Unfortunately, the rep did not elaborate further.
According to The Sun, Paul only came back into Matt’s life at the age of 8 and had occasional weekend visits with him. In 1998, six years before “Friends” would end on NBC, Matt helped his father buy a home in Colorado and set him up with an “allowance,” according to the publication.
Paul’s interview comes on the heels of LeBlanc stepping back into the spotlight for the upcoming “Friends” reunion. The actor, who played struggling soap actor Joey Tribbiani on the show, returned to the show’s famed soundstage along with co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry for the special set to air on HBO Max starting May 27.