Jennifer Aniston has opened up about her divorce from Brad Pitt in a rare and honest interview. The actress spoke about the difficult period following their split in 2005 in her new cover story for Vanity Fair magazine.
The Morning Show star called the time after their breakup a major challenge in her life. She remembered doing her first interview after the divorce and how hard it was to talk about such personal matters in public.
According to People, Aniston described the period as “such a vulnerable time” in her life. She said the experience of giving that first interview was jarring and difficult. “That was one for the memoirs,” she recalled about speaking to the media so soon after her marriage ended.
How Jennifer Aniston coped with her public divorce
The actress revealed her method for getting through the tough times after her split from Pitt. She would tell herself to “just pick yourself up by the bootstraps and keep on walking, girl.” This simple approach helped her move forward during one of the most difficult periods in her life.
Aniston and Pitt were married for almost five years before they divorced in 2005. The couple had been together since 1998 and got married in a big ceremony in July 2000. They first met in 1994 when their managers introduced them.
The media attention around their divorce was intense and overwhelming for Aniston. She admitted that she “didn’t have a strong enough constitution to not get affected by” all the rumors and speculation. The actress said it was like entertainment for people who didn’t have soap operas to watch. “If they didn’t have their soap operas, they had their tabloids,” she explained.
Aniston talked about how the public treated celebrities during that time. She pointed out that famous people are still human beings, even though some people don’t want to believe that. “They think, ‘You signed up for it, so you take it.’ But we really didn’t sign up for that,” she said about the extreme media coverage.
Both Aniston and Pitt have moved on since their divorce. Pitt is now in a relationship with jewelry designer Ines de Ramon, while Aniston is dating hypnotherapist Jim Curtis. Pitt was previously married to Angelina Jolie, experiencing his own devastating divorce struggles, while Aniston was married to actor Justin Theroux.
The former couple seems to have rebuilt their friendship in recent years. They had two public reunions in 2020 that made fans very happy. They shared a warm hug at the SAG Awards and took part in a virtual reading of Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Looking back at their relationship, Aniston has no regrets. In her 2005 interview, she said she hoped they could be friends again someday. “I will love [Brad] for the rest of my life. He’s a fantastic man. I don’t regret any of it, and I’m not going to beat myself up about it,” she said.
The new season of The Morning Show will start on Apple TV+ on September 17. Aniston continues to work as both an actress and producer on the popular series, building on her impressive career and substantial net worth.
