Jennifer Aniston sat down with The Hollywood Reporter on December 8th for an interview following her cover shoot. In a tell-all sit-down like never before, Jen discussed everything from the social pressure to have kids and be married to how she felt reuniting with the Friends cast. Spoiler alert: it might not be what you expect.
"I was the girl next door, the damsel in distress, the brokenhearted—your traditional rom-com themes," recalled the 52-year old about her rise to fame in the '90s. Aniston admitted that her time on Friends was terrific, but things took a turn after it came to an end. She said that the HBO Max reunion special was difficult, "It just took me by surprise because it was like 'Hi, past, remember me? Remember how that sucked? You thought everything was in front of you and life was going to be just gorgeous, and then you went through maybe the hardest time in your life?'"
The Morning Show star also explained that it was hard having her personal life in the spotlight and confessed that she tried to stay out of the public eye. "You disappear as much as you can, you have fun, you take on these weird roles, you don't give a s---, you enjoy yourself, you remember that you have a gorgeous group of friends and your life is blessed, and you do the best that you can," Jen reflected. But that never stopped the media from starting rumors about her.
"I haven't seen a tabloid in so long. Am I still having twins? Am I going to be the miracle mother at 52?" Aniston wondered, referencing the many headlines that have speculated about her personal business. The Friends actress continued discussing the "hurtful" gossip, saying, "I used to take it all very personally — the pregnancy rumors and the whole 'Oh, she chose career over kids' assumption," she added, "It's like, 'You have no clue what's going with me personally, medically, why I can't… can I have kids?' They don't know anything, and it was really hurtful and just nasty."
The interview was a vulnerable one for the We're The Millers star. She discussed how women in the industry have different expectations than men. "Men can be married as many times as they want to; they can marry women in their 20s or 30s. Women aren't allowed to do that," Jennifer expressed. Calling out double standards in Hollywood? We love to see it.