The Morning Show star Jennifer Aniston has spoken out over hurtful false narratives about her personal life and the reason why she's never had any children.
At 56 years old, Aniston has taken on all sorts of roles throughout her career, including hardworking businesswoman, friend, mom, girlfriend and fashion icon.
What we see on screen isn't real life, though, and Aniston has now noted how she has long been subject to scrutiny from the media about her possible role as a mother, and whether she could or would become pregnant.
When Aniston split from her ex-husband Brad Pitt in October 2005, rumors began to circulate that she was prioritizing her career over her family and having a child.
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In reality, however, the Friends star had been undergoing IVF treatment, which unfortunately was not successful.
Aniston has now reflected on her experiences in an interview with Harper's Bazaar, saying: “They didn’t know my story, or what I’d been going through over the past 20 years to try to pursue a family, because I don’t go out there and tell them my medical woes."
"That’s not anybody’s business," Aniston continued.
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"But there comes a point when you can’t not hear it – the narrative about how I won’t have a baby, won’t have a family, because I’m selfish, a workaholic.
"It does affect me – I’m just a human being. We’re all human beings.
"That’s why I thought, ‘What the hell?’"
In 2016, Aniston wrote an op-ed article for the Huffington Post in which she spoke out against the rumors circulating about her.
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She continued: "I knew a lot of women at the time who were trying to have kids, who were dealing with IVF. So it did feel like it was not only for myself, but for any women who were struggling with the same issue."
The actor acknowledged that tabloid culture has changed over the last couple of decades, but she expressed her concerns that cruelty can now come instead from behind the anonymity of a screen.
"So now any schmuck can stay anonymous and write whatever the hell they want to write," she said of social media.
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"I’m sure the guys who came up with it thought it was a great idea and, yeah, congratulations on your billions, but it has taken down a huge portion of humanity."
With the digital world proving such a troubled space, Aniston leans heavily on her real-world relationships - including her friendship with her Murder Mystery co-star, Adam Sandler.
"That’s a guy who would lie down on the tracks for me," Aniston said of Sandler, who she has previously praised for sending her flowers every year on Mother's Day after he learned of her struggles to get pregnant.
Aniston's interview came amid season four of The Morning Show, which is currently streaming on Apple TV+.
Topics: Jennifer Aniston, Celebrity, Mental Health, Brad Pitt, Social Media
Emily Brown