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Matt LeBlanc’s father, Paul, hits out at his son

“I could never forget what he’s done to me.”
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Matt LeBlanc’s father has given a scathing interview about the strained relationship he has with his famous son.

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Speaking to UK newspaper The Sun, Paul LeBlanc, 73, said, “I’d like to mend bridges with Matt. We haven’t spoken or seen each other in four years.”

According to Paul, disputes over money caused the wedge between him and his Friends star son, and there have been other tensions: “One year I got him a really nice Rolex watch and inscribed it, ‘A father’s love is eternal’. He called me up a year later and he’d finally read the inscription. . .to him it was just another gaudy item in his watch collection.”


It’s not the first time Mr. LeBlanc has publicly criticised his son. “Matthew has always been wild and reckless,” he said in a 2015 interview with RadarOnline. “I’m just going to wash my hands with it and get on with my life. If I don’t see or talk to him again, then fine.”

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But Matt, 48, had a different version of events. The new host of Top Gear said he cut off contact with his dad after Paul sold stories to tabloid publications.

While his private life might be problematic, LeBlanc’s career is strong again thanks to his Top Gear gig and sitcom Man With A Plan given the green light. It’s a return to the spotlight after a long hiatus since the end of Friends in 2004. He concentrated on raising his daughter Marina, now 12, and “For years and years, I barely left the house. I was burnt out. I wanted to not have a schedule, not be somewhere,” he told UK newspaper The Mirror. “I was in a position to do that. My agent was bummed. Most actors call their agents and say, ‘What’s going on?’. I’d call mine and say, ‘Please lose my number for a few years’. It was a very dark time. I almost had a nervous breakdown.” 

Paul now says it’s his health which is at risk over the rift with his son:. “I would welcome him back but I could never forget what he’s done to me. I lay in bed going over it all in my head every night. It’s not good for my health.”

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