Jennifer Aniston Opened Up About Misconceptions About Her And Revealed She Doesn’t Have ‘Anything To Hide’

Aug 04, 2023

Jennifer Aniston is an American actress that rose to international fame for her role as Rachel Green in the hit series "Friends." Born to two actors, John Aniston and Nancy Dow, she came to acting early in life. While attending her Waldorf school, Aniston fell in love with acting at age 11.

She later enrolled at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan. After high school, Aniston worked part-time jobs like waitressing and telemarketing to support herself while she performed in off-Broadway productions. She would eventually move to Los Angeles, California, where she soon hit fame. 

In her role as Rachel on "Friends," which aired from 1994 to 2004, Aniston hit the jackpot. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for the show, as well as a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award. Her character was extremely popular and is considered one of the best female roles in television history. 

Aniston has also starred in a number of films and is considered one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses. Films that star Aniston in a leading role have grossed over $1.6 billion worldwide, with 12 of those films earning over $100 million. Some of her most famous film roles include "Bruce Almighty," "The Break-Up," "Horrible Bosses" and "We're the Millers."

With Aniston's major A-list reputation, it is no surprise her name has been in and out of tabloids and press since she stepped on the scene many years ago. Her highly public marriage to Brad Pitt ended in divorce. However, Aniston has been open about her hardships over the years, including her struggles with infertility.

Back in 2000, Pitt and Aniston were married, and their relationship was one of the most talked-about pairings in the media. Most significantly, Pitt's romantic relationships have been at the forefront of gossip columns and tabloids for decades. His first marriage to Aniston was, like all major celebrity relationships, followed by the media for a while. 

However, the public dissolution of this marriage and the rumors of infidelity with his co-star Angelina Jolie led to a very public interest in all the concerned parties. For a while, arguments would erupt over people who identified either as #TeamAniston or #TeamJolie, reported CNN. 

Both Pitt and Aniston had been very vocal that the end of their relationship was not as the media portrayed it, but the stories of drama took on a life of their own over the years. Marie Claire reported that the couple was back on speaking terms since Pitt's divorce in 2019 and had since rekindled their friendship. It seems like the friendship is going well enough, and neither person has any bad feelings left over from their divorce. 

One rumor was that Aniston and Pitt got divorced because the actress didn’t want children. She cleared that up in 2006 when she told Vanity Fair: “I’ve never in my life said I didn’t want to have children. I did and I do and I will!”

Aniston addressed similar rumors again in 2018 in an interview. The star said:

“The misconceptions are ‘Jen can’t keep a man,’ and ‘Jen refuses to have a baby because she’s selfish and committed to her career.’ Or that I’m sad and heartbroken.”

Aniston continued:

“First, with all due respect, I’m not heartbroken. And second, those are reckless assumptions. No one knows what’s going on behind closed doors. No one considers how sensitive that might be for my partner and me. They don’t know what I’ve been through medically or emotionally.”

The actress also added: “There is a pressure on women to be mothers, and if they are not, then they’re deemed damaged goods. Maybe my purpose on this planet isn’t to procreate. Maybe I have other things I’m supposed to do.”

Aniston had also penned an essay for the Huffington Post in 2016 detailing her disdain for the way in which the press would write about her and other female stars and explained how much she abhorred “how much we define a woman’s value based on her marital and maternal status.”

“The sheer amount of resources being spent right now by press trying to simply uncover whether or not I am pregnant (for the bajillionth time... but who’s counting) points to the perpetuation of this notion that women are somehow incomplete, unsuccessful, or unhappy if they’re not married with children,” she wrote.

Women “don’t need to be married or mothers to be complete,” she added. 

“I’m not in pursuit of motherhood because I feel incomplete in some way, as our celebrity news culture would lead us all to believe. I resent being made to feel 'less than' because my body is changing and/or I had a burger for lunch and was photographed from a weird angle and therefore deemed one of two things: ‘pregnant’ or ‘fat,’” she wrote.

Speaking with Allure in 2022, Aniston opened up about her struggles with IVF. “I was trying to get pregnant. It was a challenging road for me, the baby-making road,” she said. The actress explained that “nobody” knew and added:

“All the years and years and years of speculation… It was really hard. It was going through IVF, drinking Chinese teas, you name it. I was throwing everything at it. I would’ve given anything if someone had said to me, ‘Freeze your eggs. Do yourself a favor.’ You just don’t think it. So here I am today. The ship has sailed.”

However, Aniston said she has “zero regrets” and actually feels “a little relief” because she doesn’t have to go through it anymore. It was tough for her to hear so many lies. She explained:

“I just cared about my career. And God forbid a woman is successful and doesn’t have a child. And the reason my husband left me, why we broke up and ended our marriage, was because I wouldn’t give him a kid. It was absolute lies. I don't have anything to hide at this point.”

Now, Aniston is embracing the next chapter of her life, one she calls “Phoenix Rising,” and is mulling writing a memoir so that she can set the record straight on her life.

“I’m going to stop saying, ‘I can’t write.’” she said. “I’ve spent so many years protecting my story about IVF. I’m so protective of these parts because I feel like there’s so little that I get to keep to myself. The (world) creates narratives that aren’t true, so I might as well tell the truth. I feel like I’m coming out of hibernation. I don’t have anything to hide.”

What do you think about Jennifer Aniston and her honesty about her past struggles? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this along to your family and friends as well.