Jennifer Aniston Was Never The Same After Friends

In the early 1990s, Jennifer Aniston appeared in several television shows that weren't received well and were quickly canceled. At this time, it seemed like Aniston might not find success as an actress, which is shocking to consider since she has now been a household name for over three decades. This is all thanks to "Friends," which premiered in 1994 and quickly turned Aniston's luck around. In the sitcom, she played Rachel Green, a runaway bride who reunites with her childhood best friend and builds a new life in New York City.

"Friends" was an instant hit and became a cultural phenomenon in the '90s. Throughout the show's run, Aniston charmed viewers all over the world with her portrayal of Rachel Green, but all good things must come to an end. After being a ratings juggernaut for ten seasons, "Friends" concluded its run in 2004. Fans were forced to say goodbye to Rachel, but thankfully, Aniston was just getting started in Hollywood. Therefore, let's take a look at what Aniston has been up to since "Friends" ended.

Jennifer Aniston started dating Brad Pitt when "Friends" was at the height of its popularity. The pair ended up getting married in 2000, and for many years, seemed like the perfect Hollywood couple. However, in January 2005, a little less than a year after the series finale of "Friends" aired, they announced their separation. In a statement released to People, they said, "We would like to announce that after seven years together, we have decided to formally separate. For those who follow these sorts of things, we would like to explain that our separation is not the result of any of the speculation reported by the tabloid media. This decision is the result of much thoughtful consideration."

The "speculation" they were referring to was Pitt's rumored affair with his "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" co-star Angelina Jolie, whom he later married. The love triangle between Aniston, Pitt, and Jolie was at the center of all the tabloids during this time, which surely created a whirlwind of emotions for the "Friends" actress. In an interview with Vanity Fair months after she filed for divorce from Pitt, Aniston said, "There are many stages of grief. It's sad, something coming to an end. It cracks you open, in a way — cracks you open to feeling. When you try to avoid the pain, it creates greater pain. I'm a human being, having a human experience in front of the world. I wish it weren't in front of the world. I try really hard to rise above it."

Even though their marriage came to a dramatic end, Aniston always insisted that she hoped she and Pitt could be friends at some point. It seems like her wish has come true, since the two actors have reunited several times in recent years. After they both participated in a virtual table reading of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" in 2020, Aniston spoke about her relationship with Pitt during an appearance on "The Howard Stern Show" (via People). She said, "Brad and I are buddies, we're friends. And we speak and there's no oddness at all."

Jennifer Aniston's marriage to Pitt may have come to an end not long after the "Friends" series finale, but her career as a movie star was just getting started. While some sitcom stars disappear after their show ends, Aniston quickly became one of the most popular actresses in the world after "Friends." Aniston has admitted that she was initially "offended" when she was told she should pursue comedy as a young actress, but she fully embraced the genre after playing Rachel Green on "Friends" for a decade.

In the years after "Friends," Aniston starred in romantic comedy movies like "The Break-Up," "The Bounty Hunter," "The Switch," and "Just Go with It." Aniston also starred in more serious films in between all of these, but these four movies and several others prove that she established herself as the queen of the romantic comedy genre. Not all of her romantic comedy movies received fantastic reviews, which is not necessarily surprising for the genre, but many of them were major box office successes. During the rom-com boom of the late 2000s and early 2010s, Aniston was at the top of her game and consistently drew audiences to movie theaters all over the world.

Just because she is mostly known for her comedic roles doesn't mean Jennifer Aniston hasn't been taken seriously as a dramatic actor. However, even though she has been constantly praised and recognized by her peers throughout her career, she has never been nominated for an Oscar. This may disappoint some longtime fans of the actress, especially since she received early Oscar buzz for starring in the 2014 movie "Cake." In this film, Aniston plays Claire, a woman with chronic pain who starts looking into the life of a member of her support group who committed suicide.

After its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, some industry experts believed that Aniston would end up receiving an Oscar nomination for best actress. Unfortunately, despite all the positive reviews for her performance, this didn't end up being the case. However, in line with how she has reacted to other disappointments in her life and career, Aniston kept a positive attitude during the 2015 awards season, which eventually saw Julianne Moore win best actress for "Still Alice." Talking about her Oscar snub during an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (via The Hollywood Reporter), she said, "I'm the number one snubbed! That's the silver lining!"

Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux started dating in 2011 after starring in the film "Wanderlust" together. After a lengthy engagement, they finally got married in a secret backyard ceremony at their Bel-Air home in 2015, ten years after her separation from Pitt. In a 2016 interview with Harper's Bazaar, Aniston gushed about how happy she is being married to Theroux. "We felt married for so long," she said. "Married life is so normal and fun and not much different."

However, unfortunately, the couple announced their divorce in 2018 after just two and a half years of marriage. In a statement released by Aniston's publicist (via People), they said, "We have decided to announce our separation. This decision was mutual and lovingly made at the end of last year. We are two best friends who have decided to part ways as a couple, but look forward to continuing our cherished friendship."

Even though their romance didn't work out, Aniston and Theroux have indeed continued their friendship. In the years since their divorce, which was reportedly very peaceful and amicable, Aniston and Theroux have been spotted out in public on several occasions and still have nothing but good things to say about each other.

While Jennifer Aniston has been in several high-profile relationships throughout her career, she doesn't have any children. This is not because she was never interested in having kids, though. In fact, Aniston has revealed that she was consistently trying to get pregnant while she was in her late 30s and throughout her 40s. In an interview with Allure, she said, "I was going through IVF, drinking Chinese teas, you name it. I was throwing everything at it." Unfortunately, none of these methods worked.

Obviously, adoption is always an option worth exploring for people who can't have children naturally. However, Aniston has explained that she wanted a child with her DNA. During an appearance on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast, she stated, "When people say, 'But you can adopt.' I don't want to adopt. I want my own DNA in a little person. That's the only way, selfish or not, whatever that is, I've wanted it to come."

Even though her inability to have children has created a lot of turmoil for the actress over the years, she has revealed that she has made peace with it now. Speaking with Shepard, she said, "I actually feel a little relief now because there is no more, 'Can I? Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.' I don't have to think about that anymore."

A lot has changed in Hollywood since Jennifer Aniston first became one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Nowadays, the romantic comedies that she consistently starred in earlier in her career are much harder to get greenlit. Additionally, it is much more difficult to convince audiences to see new movies in theaters since most people have subscriptions for multiple streaming services that they can browse from the comfort of their own home. These streaming services have drastically changed the film industry, but Aniston has not shied away from them.

During an "Actors on Actors" interview for Variety with Sebastian Stan, Aniston revealed that she's glad she got to experience the movie industry before the streaming era. "I always say I feel lucky that we got a little taste of the industry before it became what it is today, which is just different — more streaming services, more people. You're famous from TikTok. You're famous from YouTube. You're famous from Instagram. It's sort of almost like it's diluting our actor's job," she said.

However, despite her somewhat negative thoughts about this new era of the entertainment industry, she has starred in various movies and shows for streaming services. Most prominently, she starred in both "Murder Mystery" movies alongside Adam Sandler, with whom she has frequently collaborated throughout her career. Both of these movies were major successes for Netflix, amassing millions of views. Additionally, she has spent the last several years on the hit Apple TV+ series "The Morning Show," which further proves that people still want to see Aniston on their screens.

Jennifer Aniston signing on to star in "The Morning Show" was a major moment in her career since it marked her return to television as a series lead after 15 years. After "Friends" ended, it seemed like Aniston was solely interested in starring in movies. In a 2012 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she even admitted that she would probably only star in another show if her "Friends" co-stars were also involved. "I loved what I did for 10 years; it was pure joy and nothing but fun, and it'd be hard to top it," she claimed. "The way we sort of felt the excitement of what 'Friends' was when it started, it would have to be something where you felt a similar charge. But I'll never ever say never."

Aniston was wise to never say never, since she had a different opinion when asked about a potential return to television in 2016. Appearing on Netflix's "Chelsea" (via Entertainment Tonight), the actress stated that TV shows present "more opportunities for women." In "The Morning Show," Aniston plays morning news anchor Alex Levy and gets to explore themes such as sexism and power dynamics in the workplace. Clearly, many years after the ending of "Friends," the subject matter of the Apple TV+ series excited her enough to bring her back to the small screen.

Jennifer Aniston's long-awaited return to television did not disappoint. Ever since its premiere, "The Morning Show" has been a hit with audiences and critics. After becoming one of the most successful shows on Apple TV+, "The Morning Show's" first season was nominated for various Emmy awards, including Aniston's nomination for outstanding lead actress in a drama series. The actress posted on Instagram after this nomination was announced, writing, "What a morning waking up to this news! I am so proud of my @themorningshow family. This team worked so, so hard to make the best show we possibly could, and I am truly honored to be a part of it. Thanks for this acknowledgement and congratulations to EVERYONE."

While she did not win this award, it proved that this series marked the start of an exciting new chapter in her career. As of this writing, "The Morning Show" has run for four seasons and has been renewed for a fifth. Aniston was nominated for yet another Emmy award in 2024, proving that she has consistently been recognized for her work on the series. Without a doubt, "The Morning Show" will be remembered as one of the best projects of Aniston's career.

Even though she has led the cast of another hit show in the 2020s, there's no way Aniston will ever forget about her time on "Friends." In 2021, fans of the sitcom rejoiced when it was announced that the cast of "Friends" would all appear in a reunion. The reunion special, which saw Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, and Matt LeBlanc reconnect and reflect on the legacy of the show, was well-received by fans and was even nominated for four Emmy awards.

The reunion provided a dose of nostalgia for fans all over the world. It was obviously very special to be on the set of "Friends" again with her castmates, but Aniston has admitted that filming the reunion was surprisingly difficult. Appearing on the Sirius XM show "Gayle King in The House" (via Deadline), Aniston stated, "It was a sucker punch in the heart in a way. We were very naive in what we were expecting. It was excitement. 'This is going to be so fun to walk onto the set and they're bringing all of the sets out from storage and putting it all back together ... It almost felt like time had stopped and we time traveled. And there's good in that, and then there's heartbreak in that."

Jennifer Aniston has always been open about her nostalgia for her time on "Friends." In 2019, she told InStyle magazine (via E! News) that she misses being on the show. "I miss a lot about that time. Having a job that was absolute, pure joy. I miss getting to be with people I love massively and respect beyond words. So, yes, these days I'm super nostalgic."

Obviously, this nostalgia was on display for the whole world during the "Friends" reunion. In the lead-up to the reunion, Aniston told People that "Friends" is "one of the greatest jobs I've ever had." She continued, "It goes so beyond the work and what the show was, which was, in and of itself, just a spectacular phenomenon, but the friendships and family that came out of it is just — you can't put words to that really. It's priceless." Even though Aniston has starred in several major movies since "Friends" ended, it's possible that nothing will ever top her time on the sitcom, which should make longtime fans happy.

On October 28, 2023, people all over the world were heartbroken to learn about the loss of Matthew Perry, who suffered an accidental ketamine overdose and drowned in his jacuzzi. News of Perry's sudden death shocked fans of the sitcom, as well as Aniston and the rest of her "Friends" co-stars. A few days after his death, Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, Schwimmer, and LeBlanc released a statement to People that expressed their heartbreak. "We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew," they wrote. "We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss."

A couple of weeks after his passing, Aniston wrote a personal message about Perry on her Instagram, which read, "Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I've never experienced before. We all experience loss at some point in our lives. Loss of life or loss of love. Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep. And we loved him deeply."

Even though Jennifer Aniston returned to television with "The Morning Show" many years after "Friends" ended, she has admitted that she probably won't ever make a sitcom again. When asked whether she'd make another comedy series while on the "SmartLess" podcast, Aniston said, "If I knew it would be the same experience as I had with those guys, yes, but I doubt that will ever happen."

This comment proves that her experience on "Friends" and her co-stars from the sitcom truly are irreplaceable. Aniston has gone on to achieve a lot throughout her career, but it seems like nothing will ever bring her as much joy as her time on "Friends." Aniston may be a world-renowned movie star and have a life full of glitz and glamor, but in many ways, she's just like the rest of us: she still misses "Friends" and her character, Rachel Green.