The former Friends star Jennifer Aniston shocked her fans on Monday when she made a rare comment about the infamous “love triangle” that she was in twenty years ago with her ex-husband Brad Pitt and their fellow Hollywood star Angelina Jolie.
Aniston’s ‘Love Triangle’ With Pitt And Jolie
Aniston, 56, and Pitt, 61, were married from 2000 until they divorced on 2005. Their split came after Pitt and Jolie, 50, began an affair on the set of their 2005 movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
Needless to say, this was an extremely difficult time for Aniston, as the tabloids were all over this situation.
“It was … such a vulnerable time,” Aniston told Vanity Fair. “Journalism back then felt more like a form of a sport.”
Aniston went on to claim that she has “PTSD” stemming from the tabloid frenzy over this “love triangle.”
“There’s obviously some PTSD we all have, which is why these [interviews] scare me,” Aniston admitted. “How are they going to misinterpret my words or take something out of context? And one line nowadays …”
Making matters even worse for Aniston was the fact that for years after Pitt left her, the tabloids constantly speculated about her desire to have kids or not. Indeed, the tabloids questioned if this had something to do with Pitt dropping Aniston for Jolie, who he would go on to have six children with.
“It was such juicy reading for people,” Aniston recalled. “If they didn’t have their soap operas, they had their tabloids. It’s a shame that it had to happen, but it happened. And boy did I take it personally.”
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Aniston’s Advice To Her Younger Self
Looking back two decades later, Aniston describes this time as being “the love triangle” years.
When asked what advice she would give her younger self during that time, Aniston replied, “Just pick yourself up by the bootstraps and keep on walking, girl.”
Aniston concluded by giving her final thoughts on the aggressive tabloid presence of 2005.
“I didn’t have a strong enough constitution to not get affected by it,” she stated. “We’re human beings, even though some people don’t want to believe we are. They think, You signed up for it, so you take it. But we really didn’t sign up for that.”
Aniston Gets The Last Laugh
One could argue that Aniston ultimately got the last laugh, as Pitt’s life with Jolie was far from pleasant.
Though Pitt began dating Jolie right after his split with Aniston, it wasn’t until 2014 that they got married. By this time, they were already the parents of six children. Their marriage lasted only two years, with Jolie filing for divorce in 2016 after a private jet flight in which she alleges that Pitt was abusive to her and their six children. Pitt has denied the allegations that Jolie made against him. However, all six children have taken Jolie’s side and effectively cut Pitt out of their lives.
Pitt and Jolie’s divorce battle stretched out for eight long years. Indeed, it was only just finalized in December of 2024. To this day, however, Pitt and Jolie are still engaged in a legal battle over a winery that they owned together in France.
Meanwhile, Aniston went on to marry the former Mulholland Dr. star Justin Theroux, 54, in 2015. They later divorced in 2018. Aniston recently began dating the hypnotist Jim Curtis. She’s never had any children.
This “love triangle” was clearly a very difficult situation for Aniston to overcome. We’re just glad that she was able to come out the other side and grow into a stronger person in the end.
God bless you, Jennifer Aniston!