Jennifer Aniston was born to parents John Aniston and Nancy Dow, who were both actors, but she insists she has not benefitted from nepotism.
In a new interview with Vanity Fair, the 56-year-old Friends star denied riding her parents coattails to build her career.
John, who died in 2022, was best known for his role as Victor Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives.
And Nancy, who died in 2016, found success in the 60s on shows like The Beverly Hillbillies and The Wild Wild West.
‘Listen, I am so grateful. I came from nothing. We were broke. There’s no nepo baby here,’ she declared.
The outlet also noted that Jennifer’s mom wrote in her memoir From Mother and Daughter to Friends that there were times when her ex-husband John couldn’t afford to pay their mortgage.
Jennifer Aniston was born to parents John Aniston and Nancy Dow , who were both actors, but she insists she has not benefitted from nepotism; pictured in January 2024
In a new interview with Vanity Fair , the 56-year-old Friends star denied riding her parents coattails to build her career; pictured in 1990 as Jeannie Bueller in Ferris Bueller
Jennifer was raised in New York City, where she developed her acting chops at the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.
Part of her ambition stemmed from ‘always wanting to get Pop’s approval,’ she said of her late father.Â
‘It was the thing that drove me and was also my biggest heartbreak: trying to impress and prove your value to a man who’s only capable of so much,’ she explained.
The Hollywood fixture said she thought that if she could achieve noteworthy success ‘then he will love me as much as I love him.’
In August 2023 she opened up about the long-term effect her parents’ bitter 1980 divorce had on her love life.
The star was initially wed to Brad Pitt from 2000 until 2005, and later to Justin Theroux from 2015 until 2018.
Speaking with WSJ. Magazine two years ago, she admitted that her ‘difficult’ childhood experiences didn’t leave her desperate to say ‘I do.’
‘It was always a little bit difficult for me in relationships, I think, because I really was kind of alone,’ she explained at the time.
‘Listen, I am so grateful. I came from nothing. We were broke. There’s no nepo baby here,’ the actress declared to the publication in a profile titled Zen and the Art of Being Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer pictured with her mom and dad, Nancy and John, in 1975
John, who died in 2022, was best known for his role as Victor Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives. And Nancy, who died in 2016, found success in the 60s on shows like The Beverly Hillbillies and The Wild Wild West; pictured in 1975
‘I don’t know. My parents, watching my family’s relationship, didn’t make me kind of go, “Oh, I can’t wait to do that,”‘ she reflected.
Discussing the long-term effects her mom and dad’s split had on her own romantic relationships, she admitted it felt ‘easier’ to just be alone.
‘I didn’t like the idea of sacrificing who you were or what you needed, so I didn’t really know how to do that,’ she said, before adding, ‘So it was almost easier to just be kind of solo. So I didn’t have any real training in that give-and-take.’
The Murder Mystery star recently found love again with hypnotist and wellness entrepreneur Jim Curtis.
In July they were spotted on a yacht as they vacationed together in Mallorca, Spain with actor Jason Bateman, his wife, and other friends.
But Jennifer has not publicly confirmed or denied the romance.Â
