Matthew Perry revealed that personal wealth is one of the most important assets he is looking for in a romantic partner.
The 53-year-old actor told People magazine that after several of his relationships failed because the women he was dating were only interested in his money, he resolved to find love with a woman who has her own wealth.
"The next person I really take seriously is somebody that I'm going to be in love with and not be scared by the things that used to scare me… somebody who's self-supporting. In every way, but monetarily especially, because I got burned a few times by women who wanted my money, not really caring about me," he explained.
When asked about any dating deal breakers, Perry doubled down on his conviction. "People who I start to think are in it for the money. And it happens more often than you think. Somebody who has their own wealth is a pretty key component for me."
MATTHEW PERRY OPENS UP ABOUT WHY HE NEVER FOUND LOVE AND WHY HE WILL ONLY DATE WEALTHY WOMEN
Beverly Hills-based celebrity matchmaker and dating expert Alessandra Conti told Fox News Digital that Perry's fear of becoming involved with women who might not have pure intentions is common among the celebrities and high-powered men that seek out her services.
She explained that a majority of her clients hire her not just to find love, but also specifically to weed out any women who might want them only for their money.
"I also love that he uses the phrase specifically ‘self-supporting’," Conti added of Perry. "Men who are that high level in their career, which usually, of course comes with financial wealth, want a woman who is additive. It's a woman that's bringing femininity and care and warmth and passion into their life."
Conti explained that ideally, a partner for a celebrity would come from a certain level of wealth. "So she or he is not totally shocked and frazzled by the lifestyle or just completely kind of put off or just mesmerized by it," she said
"But I love matching public figures with grounded people," she added. "Grounded men and women who are living full lives and who have passions beyond the relationship, even if they're a kindergarten teacher. It doesn't necessarily matter what the job is, but where are the values?"
George Clooney, once considered a lifelong bachelor, met his match in wife Amal Alamuddin, an international human rights attorney who built her own successful practice representing high-profile clients, including Julian Assange and former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
The two bonded over their dedication to championing human rights around the world and co-founded the Clooney Foundation for Justice in 2016.
Conti said that in addition to using matchmaking companies like her own, celebrities often meet successful and wealthy partners through volunteer work or by attending high-end events and galas.
In 2006, Salma Hayek met French billionaire businessman François-Henri Pinault at a gala in Venice, Italy. The pair welcomed daughter Valentina in 2007 and married in 2009.
Miranda Kerr was first introduced to billionaire Snap CEO Evan Spiegel at a 2014 Louis Vuitton event in New York City. The couple have been married since 2017 and share two sons.
In addition to Hayek and Kerr, a number of female celebrities, including Janet Jackson, Elle MacPherson and Mariah Carey, have dated or married billionaires. Conti shared her insight as to why famous women might be more likely than their male counterparts to choose extremely wealthy partners.
"I think that more female celebrities tend to be more attracted to men who are coming from a very strong financial background because a lot of times there's that provider dynamic, the protector provider dynamic, which is incredibly attractive for a woman, even for a quote unquote alpha woman or even a woman that is a public figure or celebrity," she said.
"A lot of times when they're in their day jobs, they're on, they're the leader. But when they are in their romantic partnerships, they want to exercise their femininity."
In recent years, many celebrities have turned to dating apps to find relationships. Raya, the exclusive members-only dating app for celebrities and influencers, is especially popular with stars looking to find love with partners who have also attained a certain level of wealth, status and fame.
Drew Barrymore, Channing Tatum, Demi Lovato, Kiernan Shipka and Olivia Rodrigo are among the stars who have tried to find romance on Raya.
In a 2020 appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," Barrymore said swiping through Raya was like "looking through an Us Weekly".
"I did terribly too. I got stood up, and I didn’t match with anyone," she admitted to Cohen, who is himself a Raya user.
She continued, "And my friends gave me this sort of bloated sense of false confidence. They were like, ‘You should try it. You will do great.’ It was a car wreck."
However, Raya does boast some success stories. Olympian Simone Biles met her fiancé, Houston Texans safety Jonathan Owens, on the app in March 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
The NFL star later admitted that he "hadn't heard of" the four-time Olympic gold medalist when they first matched.
"I didn't know who she was," Owens told Texas Monthly in June 2021. "I just hadn't heard of her, and when I told her that, that's one of the things she liked."
The two went public with their relationship in August 2020 and announced their engagement last February.
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The "Real Housewives of Orange County" alum Meghan King and President Joe Biden's nephew Cuffe Biden Owens' short-lived romance began after they met on the app in September 2021. The pair tied the knot three weeks later but split after two months of marriage.
Regardless of how they meet, Conti told Fox News Digital that she believes celebrities like Perry prioritize strong values over financial considerations when it comes to dating.
"I know what Matthew is expressing, and I think that it's a bit misguided in looking for a, quote unquote, wealthy woman," she said. "So what I found is that women who have successful marriages and partnerships with high achieving men, they're not necessarily billionaires, but they have a strong value system that's grounded in family."
She continued, "It's grounded in connection, in friendships and experiences. So that's where he really needs to be prioritizing. He needs to be prioritizing meeting women who are not necessarily financially driven. That's really what I think he's trying to express."
