Doctor in Matthew Perry ketamine overdose case agrees to plead guilty: DOJ

Doctor in Matthew Perry ketamine overdose case agrees to plead guilty: DOJ
Doctor in Matthew Perry ketamine overdose case agrees to plead guilty: DOJ
Michael Buckner/Getty Images

One of the two doctors charged in connection with Matthew Perry‘s ketamine death case has agreed to plead guilty to distributing the drug, the Department of Justice said Monday.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia is expected to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine in the coming weeks, the DOJ said.

The charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.

Plasencia is one of five people charged in the wake of Perry’s death from a ketamine overdose at his home on Oct. 28, 2023, at the age of 54. The Friends actor was discovered unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home, police said. An autopsy report revealed he died from the acute effects of ketamine.

Plasencia, who operated an urgent care clinic in Malibu, had been set to go on trial in August in the case.

His plea agreement comes after Mark Chavez, the other doctor charged in the case, pleaded guilty to distributing ketamine in October 2024. Chavez is scheduled to be sentenced in September.

According to Plasencia’s plea agreement, which was filed on Monday, he distributed 20 vials of ketamine, ketamine lozenges and syringes to Perry and the actor’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, between Sept. 30, 2023, and Oct. 12, 2023.

Plasencia “admits that his conduct fell below the proper standard of medical care and that transfers of ketamine vials to Defendant Iwamasa and Victim M.P. were not for a legitimate medical purpose,” his plea agreement stated.

Iwamasa, who admitted in court documents to administering the ketamine on the day that Perry died, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, the DOJ said. He is scheduled to be sentenced in November.

Plasencia’s attorney, Stefan Sacks, told ABC News following Plasencia’s arraignment in August 2024 that a plea deal was possible in the case.

According to his plea agreement, Perry asked Iwamasa to help him procure ketamine in September 2023 and provided his assistant with “money, or promised to reimburse him, and directed him to find sources from whom to acquire the drugs.”

One of Plasencia’s patients introduced him to Perry on Sept. 30, 2023, with the unidentified patient referring to the actor as a “‘high profile person” who was seeking ketamine and was willing to pay “cash and lots of thousands” for ketamine treatment,” according to Plasencia’s plea agreement.

Plasencia contacted Chavez, who had previously owned a ketamine clinic, to discuss Perry’s request for ketamine and purchased vials of liquid ketamine, ketamine lozenges and other items from him, according to the agreement.

Plasencia administered ketamine to Perry at the actor’s home on several occasions, as well as left vials and lozenges with Iwamasa to administer, according to the plea agreement. In one instance, he was paid $12,000 for such a visit, according to the agreement.

One instance occurred outside of the home, when Plasencia administered ketamine to Perry in a parking lot near an aquarium in Long Beach, according to the plea agreement. Upon learning about that, Chavez “reprimanded” the other doctor “for “dosing people in cars, and in a public place where children are present,” Chavez’s plea agreement stated.

Plasencia returned to Perry’s home on Oct. 12, 2023, to administer ketamine, during which the actor’s blood pressure spiked, causing him to “freeze up,” according to Plasencia’s plea agreement.

“Notwithstanding Victim M.P.’s reaction, defendant left additional vials of ketamine with Defendant Iwamasa, knowing that Defendant Iwamasa would inject the ketamine into Victim M.P.,” the agreement stated.

After receiving 10 more vials of ketamine through a licensed pharmaceutical company using his DEA license, Plasencia texted Iwamasa on Oct. 27, 2023, according to the plea agreement: “I know you mentioned taking a break. I have been stocking up [in] the meanwhile. I am not sure when you guys plan to resume but in case its when im out of town this weekend I have left supplies with a nurse of mine …I can always let her know the plan.”

Perry died the following day after overdosing on ketamine, which Plasencia had not provided, according to the plea agreement.

Another defendant in the case, Eric Fleming, admitted in court documents that he distributed the ketamine that killed Perry, prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. He admitted in court documents that he distributed 50 vials of ketamine that he obtained from another defendant in the case — Jasveen Sangha — to Iwamasa, including the ketamine that killed Perry, the DOJ said. Fleming is scheduled to be sentenced in November.

Sangha, allegedly known as “The Ketamine Queen,” is accused of selling 50 vials of ketamine over two weeks to Perry, working with Fleming and Iwamasa to distribute the drugs to Perry, prosecutors said. She is accused of selling Perry the batch of ketamine that killed him.

Sangha pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial in August.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

In brief: ‘The Naked Gun’ official trailer and more

In brief: ‘The Naked Gun’ official trailer and more
In brief: ‘The Naked Gun’ official trailer and more

The official trailer for The Naked Gun has arrived. Paramount Pictures released the trailer for the upcoming reboot of the franchise on Monday. It finds Liam Neeson‘s character, Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., following in his father’s footsteps. Pamela Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser also star in the upcoming film, which arrives in theaters on Aug. 1 …

Kevin Hart‘s upcoming Netflix comedy film 72 Hours has added brand-new members to its cast. The upcoming bachelor-party comedy, which also stars Mason Gooding and Marcello Hernández, has added Teyana Taylor, Zach Cherry, Ben Marshall and Sam Patterson to its cast. The film is about a 40-year-old executive who strives to save his career by joining a group of 20-somethings on a three-day bachelor party weekend …

Tucci in Italy has been renewed at Nat Geo. The travel series will return for season 2 on the network, Deadline reports. Season 2 will consist of five episodes where actor Stanley Tucci explores regions in Italy …

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

George Takei boldly goes into his own gay history in new memoir ‘It Rhymes with Takei’

George Takei boldly goes into his own gay history in new memoir ‘It Rhymes with Takei’
George Takei boldly goes into his own gay history in new memoir ‘It Rhymes with Takei’
Top Shelf Productions

Set phasers to “read.”

To coincide with Pride Month, Star Trek icon George Takei has documented his journey as a gay man in a new memoir in graphic novel form called It Rhymes With Takei. As he reveals in the book, Takei came out at age 68 because he was furious that California’s 2005 same-sex marriage bill had been vetoed. But there was another reason, too.

“It was rage, but it was also guilt, because progress was being made and all these people … gave up their jobs, their careers, some their families, and were out advocating for equality for LGBTQ people,” Takei tells ABC Audio. “And here I am protecting my career.”

As Takei relates in the book, he was closeted for years because back in the day, an actor outed as gay might find himself permanently out of show business. In addition, there was always the fear of arrest by overzealous law enforcement.

“There is a full, rich, turbulent, fraught story to our achievement,” Takei says of gay history. “And it’s happening again with the transgender community, so it’s a very relevant story to our times.”

And telling that story in graphic novel form is an effort to reach as many people as possible, says Takei.

“I wanted to reach young people. But then I realized that there are older people who find it difficult to read, but they’ll look at comic books,” he explains.

Takei also hopes the history he relates in the book will hit home in the current political climate.

“The whole LGBTQ movement is under threat,” he says. Then, using a Star Trek reference, he notes, “Things in politics go in cycles, and now we have that Klingon in the White House who is making it a real challenge. And that means we’ll have to get galvanized again.” 

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Pedro Pascal lookalike contest winner gets free burritos for a year

Pedro Pascal lookalike contest winner gets free burritos for a year
Pedro Pascal lookalike contest winner gets free burritos for a year
Lyvans Boolaky/Getty Images

Daddy was more than a state of mind this Father’s Day.

New York City held a Pedro Pascal lookalike contest on Sunday. Brooklyn dad George Gountas was unanimously crowned the winner of the competition, beating nearly 30 other contestants for the title. He won $50 and a year’s worth of free burritos from the event’s organizer, Son Del North.

In a post announcing the Pascal lookalike event on Instagram, Son Del North asked several questions. “Do you look like this man? Or know someone who does? Do they also claim there’s no good Mexican food in NYC? Bring them to Orchard.”

It’s a reference to Pascal’s Hot Ones appearance from 2023, where he said there was no good Mexican food in New York City.

While Son Del North said the event is a parody and not affiliated with or endorsed by anyone, it promised “the burrito prize is real.”

Gountas may not be starring in three films playing in theaters this summer (Materialists, Eddington and The Fantastic Four: First Steps) like Pascal is, but he does have roots in the entertainment industry. According to his IMDb page, Gountas is a lighting director who has worked on The Daily Show for years. 

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes share first looks at their ‘Masters of the Universe’ transformations

Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes share first looks at their ‘Masters of the Universe’ transformations
Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes share first looks at their ‘Masters of the Universe’ transformations
Robby Klein/Getty Images for IMDb, Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

The live-action Masters of the Universe film is one step closer to coming to the big screen.

Nicholas Galitzine confirmed production on the film has ended in a photo shared to Instagram on Monday. The picture shows him in costume as He-Man. It is taken from behind and is shadowed, with his signature Sword of Power, loincloth, boots and gauntlet on display.

“Well, that’s a wrap on Masters of the Universe,” Galitzine wrote. “It has been an honour shouldering the responsibility of playing Adam and He Man.”

The actor said He-Man was “the role of a lifetime” and that he “put everything into it.”

“There’s not much I can show you, but I am so proud of the movie we’ve made. Thanks to our amazing cast and crew for all your hard work,” Galitzine continued in his caption.

Camila Mendes, who portrays Teela in the film, also took to Instagram to commemorate the end of the film’s shoot.

“getting to play teela has been one of the most exciting and challenging experiences of my career,” Mendes wrote.

She said the week of suspense between her final audition and landing the role “was excruciating to say the least.”

“but here i am almost a year later, a full-blown gym bro and converted redhead, wrapping up 7 incredible months of living like a london girl, eating like an athlete, and running around as a warrior woman!!” Mendes wrote.

While Mendes lamented not being able to share more about the experience at this time, she said the carousel of photos she shared “will have to do for now.”

The carousel includes selfies with her brand-new red hairstyle and blue-colored contacts. She also included a video of her and Galitzine hugging.

“grateful is an understatement,” Mendes said.

Masters of the Universe arrives in theaters on June 5, 2026.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The first wave of Golden contestants announced for ‘Bachelor in Paradise’

The first wave of Golden contestants announced for ‘Bachelor in Paradise’
The first wave of Golden contestants announced for ‘Bachelor in Paradise’
Disney/Sami Drasin

Age is just a number in paradise.

ABC has announced the first group of Golden contestants headed to season 10 of Bachelor in Paradise. This marks the first time cast members from The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette have appeared on the show.

The first four Golden women hitting the beach are April Kirkwood, Kathy Swarts, Leslie Fhima and Natascha Hardee. They all appeared on season 1 of The Golden Bachelor.

Cast members from season 1 of The Golden Bachelorette taking part on the season include Charles “CK” King, Jack Lencioni, Keith Gordon, Kim Buike and Ralph “RJ” Johnson.

Additionally, Gary Levingston, also from The Golden Bachelorette season 1, will appear on the beach later on in the season.

They join the previously announced younger cast members, which include Alexe Godin, Bailey Brown, Brian Autz, Dale Moss, Hakeem Moulton, Jeremy Simon, Jess Edwards, Jonathon Johnson, Justin Glaze, Kat Izzo, Kyle Howard, Lexi Young, Ricky Marinez, Sam McKinney, Spencer Conley and Zoe McGrady.

This landmark 10th season of Bachelor in Paradise takes place in Costa Rica. Jesse Palmer returns to host, with bartender Wells Adams also back for another season. Hannah Brown joins the show as the head of Paradise Relations and to introduce an all-new Champagne Lounge.

Bachelor in Paradise premieres July 7 on ABC and will stream on Hulu the next day.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Author Meghan Quinn offers up your next summer read with ‘Till Summer Do Us Part’

Author Meghan Quinn offers up your next summer read with ‘Till Summer Do Us Part’
Author Meghan Quinn offers up your next summer read with ‘Till Summer Do Us Part’
Bloom Books

Popular booktok author Meghan Quinn is back with your next great summer read.

Till Summer Do Us Part follows a recent divorcee named Scottie, who makes up a fake husband to fit in with her office filled with happily married men. She turns to her best friend’s brother, Wilder, to fill the role of her husband, but his improv skills somehow lead them to agreeing to go to a relationship camp with all her co-workers.

The book features a mix of fun, romance, spice and even some serious moments, and Meghan tells ABC Audio that’s her goal when writing.

“I really like to view my books as what someone would go through in, like, a daily week,” she says. “There’s spice in their lives, there’s funny moments in their lives, there’s heartache in their lives, and so, you know, just kind of see it as like a real-life situation for everybody.”

Fans can expect to encounter many common romantic comedy tropes in the book, including enemies to lovers, which Meghan says is her “absolute favorite trope ever.”

“Just the ability to build so much tension and when that tension finally snaps, it’s the most glorious moment in a romance, in my opinion,” she says.

Like Till Summer Do Us Part, Meghan believes the perfect summer read needs to involve some sort of vacation getaway or destination.

“Not everyone can travel, not everyone could have that, like, summer vacation,” she says. “And so if you can escape into a vacation mode with a book, I think that’s the perfect way.”

Among the books Meghan would recommend to readers are Problematic Summer Vacation by Ali Hazelwood, You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle and The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Glenn Close, Billy Porter join ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ cast

Glenn Close, Billy Porter join ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ cast
Glenn Close, Billy Porter join ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ cast
Bruce Glikas/Getty Images

Glenn Close and Billy Porter are the latest actors to join the cast of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

Lionsgate announced the news in posts shared to social media on Monday.

Close will play Drusilla Sickle, the District 12 tribute escort, while Porter is set to play Magno Stift, Drusilla’s estranged husband and stylist for the tributes.

They join the previously announced ensemble cast led by Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy.

Whitney Peak, Mckenna Grace, Jesse Plemons, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Maya Hawke, Lili Taylor, Ben Wang, Ralph Fiennes, Elle Fanning and Kieran Culkin make up the rest of the star-studded cast.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is based on Suzanne Collins‘ novel of the same name. It revisits the world of Panem almost 25 years before the events of the original book and film saga.

The novel begins on the morning of the 50th annual Hunger Games, when Haymitch Abernathy is chosen to compete in the deadly arena. Haymitch eventually wins the games, as he goes on to be the mentor for Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping arrives in theaters on Nov. 20, 2026.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Eric Dane says he has lost use of his right arm amid ALS battle

Eric Dane says he has lost use of his right arm amid ALS battle
Eric Dane says he has lost use of his right arm amid ALS battle
ABC News

Former Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane is speaking out for the first time in a television interview about his battle with ALS, a degenerative neurological disorder.

“I wake up every day and I’m immediately reminded that this is happening,” Dane, 52, said in an interview with Diane Sawyer that aired Monday on Good Morning America. “It’s not a dream.”

Just a few months after first revealing his ALS diagnosis publicly in April, Dane said he has lost function of his right arm and worries about what’s next.

ALS, short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a degenerative neurological disorder where the symptoms worsen over time, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The NIH notes that ALS causes motor neurons, a type of nerve cell in the brain and spinal cord to deteriorate, causing the muscles to progressively weaken and eventually leads to paralysis, taking away a person’s ability to move, speak or even breathe.

Dane — who shot to fame amid six seasons on the hit ABC drama Grey’s Anatomy, where he played Dr. Mark Sloan, affectionately known as “McSteamy” — said his symptoms began over one year ago, when he began to experience weakness in his right hand.

“I didn’t really think anything of it at the time. I thought maybe I’d been texting too much or my hand was fatigued,” he recalled. “But a few weeks later, I noticed it had gotten a little worse, so I went and saw a hand specialist, who sent me to another hand specialist.”

“I feel like maybe a couple, few more months, and I won’t have my left hand [functioning] either,” Dane told Sawyer, adding that he’s worried about the loss of his legs too. “Sobering.”

Dane, a father of two teenage daughters with actress Rebecca Gayheart, said he was then sent to two different neurologists before he received the diagnosis of ALS.

After losing his own father to suicide when he was just seven, Dane said he is “angry” that ALS may also take him from his daughters — ages 13 and 15 — too soon.

“I’m angry because, you know, my father was taken from me when I was young,” he said. “And now, you know, there’s a very good chance I’m going to be taken from my girls while they’re very young.”

Dane said he is focused on his family and continuing the work he loves for as long as he is able.

Most recently, Dane portrayed Cal Jacobs, the head of the Jacobs family, on Euphoria. He is also starring in an upcoming series on Amazon Prime Video, a police thriller titled Countdown.

Tune into “Good Morning America” on Tuesday, June 17, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. EDT, for more of Diane Sawyer’s interview with Eric Dane.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bruce Willis’ wife says she feels ‘profoundly sad’ on Father’s Day

Bruce Willis’ wife says she feels ‘profoundly sad’ on Father’s Day
Bruce Willis’ wife says she feels ‘profoundly sad’ on Father’s Day
Dia Dipasupil/WireImage

Emma Heming Willis is opening up about the emotional weight of Father’s Day.

The wife of Bruce Willis shared a touching message on Instagram Sunday, honoring not only her husband but also other dads “living with disability or disease.”

Heming Willis shares daughters Mabel Ray and Evelyn Penn with the actor who was diagnosed with aphasia in 2022 and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2023. She posted a photo of Willis cuddling one of their girls, along with a moving caption.

“Happy Father’s Day to all the dads living with disability or disease, showing up in the ways they can and to the children who show up for them,” she wrote in the caption. “What Bruce teaches our girls goes far beyond words. Resilience, unconditional love, and the quiet strength in simply being present.
This photo says so much. Love deepens. It adapts. It stays, even when everything else changes.”

Heming Willis also reflected on the emotional complexity of the day.

“But to be fair to myself, these symbolic days stir up a lot.
I’m profoundly sad today. I wish, with every cell in my body, that things could be different for him and lighter for our family,” she continued.

She added, “As they say in our FTD community, ‘It is what it is.’ And while that might sound dismissive, to me, it’s not. It grounds me. It helps me return to the acceptance of what is and not fight this every step of the way like I used to.”

Concluding the post, she wrote, “Today, let’s celebrate the badass dads, those who are here, and those we carry with us.
Onward.”

In addition to the two daughters he shares with Heming Willis, Willis is also a father to daughters RumerScout and Tallulah, whom he shares with ex-wife Demi Moore.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.