Jennifer Aniston offered a rare, unguarded look into her private life while reflecting on everything from bizarre dating rumors and a frightening stalking incident to the grief of losing longtime friend Matthew Perry.
During her vulnerable interview with Vanity Fair, the Friends star, 56, confessed she often wrestles with ‘what to and not to share,’ calling social media ‘a constant struggle.’
Since her split from ex-husband Justin Theroux in 2018, Aniston hasn’t been publicly linked to any confirmed love interests and rarely talks about her love life to the media.
Her friend Jason Bateman, when asked if he’s ever played matchmaker for her, admitted to the outlet that he hasn’t.
‘It’s not surprising to me that she’s not some serial dater, not because she’s overly picky or snobby,’ he said. ‘You don’t need to be some superhero to grab her attention. If you are comfortable in your skin, she gravitates to you. The challenge is for a guy to see past her fame and charisma and presence and beauty—to not be distracted by that—and tune into the stuff at the deep core.’
Earlier this year, headlines linked her to The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal after they were photographed outside a West Hollywood restaurant and even to former President Barack Obama, for reasons no one seems quite sure of.
The rumor spread so far and wide that Emmy winner even addressed it on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Jennifer Aniston offered a rare, unguarded look into her private life while reflecting on everything from bizarre dating rumors to the grief of losing longtime friend Matthew Perry
‘Of all the calls you get from your publicist…and then it’s that,’ she said with a laugh as Kimmel showed her the cover of In Touch, which read ‘The Truth About Jen & Barack!’
The actress, who insists she knows Michelle Obama better than her husband, recalled dining with the former First Lady just a month prior.
During their night out, the actress insisted the subject never came up.
‘I don’t think anyone really pays attention to reports like that if you’re the subject of them,’ she mused.
Sandra Bullock, a close friend, admits the two have tried to trace the origins of such outlandish stories.
‘We try to figure out the genesis of where some of these stories come from…but 75 percent of the time, we just cannot. They’re literally pulled out of the ether,’ the Oscar winner explained.
Still, Bullock confessed she understands the fascination with her pal.
‘She’s so beloved that you go, “I want that person to have their person” even if that person doesn’t want a person,’ the mother-of-two told the publication.
More recently, Aniston has been linked to wellness guru and hypnotherapist Jim Curtis
While her rep declined to comment to Vanity Fair about the dating rumors, Aniston follows Curtis on social media, has liked his posts and in May shared a photo of his book
More recently, Aniston has been linked to wellness guru and hypnotherapist Jim Curtis, with reports claiming the two vacationed in Mallorca and Big Sur over the summer.
She had previously told Travel + Leisure she tried hypnosis to conquer her fear of flying.
While her rep declined to comment to Vanity Fair about the dating rumors, Aniston follows Curtis on social media, has liked his posts and in May shared a photo of his book Shift: Quantum Manifestation Guide: A Workbook for Coding a New Consciousness.
Within days of paparazzi shots from the Mallorca trip, also attended by Bateman and his wife Amanda Anka, Curtis’s name was splashed across thousands of online stories.
Aniston’s boundaries were tested again this May when a man, 48, from Mississippi allegedly crashed his car into her gate.
Prosecutors say he had been sending her emails, voicemails, and social media messages for some time. Security detained him until police arrived.
He has pleaded not guilty to felony stalking and felony vandalism, and at press time was deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial.
‘People are out of their minds,’ Aniston said. ‘Who wants to put that energy out there.’ Her security detail, she adds, is ‘not glamorous in any way. It’s a necessity.’
During her latest interview, Aniston confessed to tell the magazine that she often wrestles with ‘what to and not to share,’ calling social media ‘a constant struggle.’
Bullock, who endured her own terrifying stalker incident in 2014, stressed those experiences create a fortress mentality.
‘It makes me think, “Do I really have to go outside and navigate the world?” … It’s ongoing. It’s not a one-off.’
For both actresses, fears once extended to flying.
‘The two of us on a plane, it’s the most pathetic thing to look at,’ Bullock joked.
But during one difficult spring break trip, Aniston put her own fear aside to comfort Bullock.
‘She just held onto my hand and goes, “This is just a bump” … I was like, “Who the fuck are you right now?”‘ she recalled.
Aniston says hypnotherapy and calming apps have helped her in the air, but her empathy for others can override her own fear.
‘When there’s someone in need of being calmed, I have such empathy for it that all of a sudden my fear goes out the window,’ the star noted.
While reflecting on her career, Aniston says, ‘What helped raise me is something I got to put into the world and help other people. If [Friends] was the only thing on my résumé, I would be very happy and blessed.’
The 2021 Friends reunion, she added, served as a final curtain call for the six cast members.
In 2023, that tight-knit group suffered a devastating loss when Matthew Perry died from ‘the acute effects’ of ketamine, with drowning a contributing factor.
‘We did everything we could when we could,’ Aniston said of efforts to help Perry through his long battle with addiction.
She continued: ‘But it almost felt like we’d been mourning Matthew for a long time because his battle with that disease was a really hard one for him to fight. As hard as it was for all of us and for the fans, there’s a part of me that thinks this is better. I’m glad he’s out of that pain.’
