Jennifer Aniston was just 25 years old when she became a household name playing Rachel Green on Friends.
After its September 22, 1994, premiere, viewers quickly fell in love with the stunning and funny star, and before she knew it, she was crowned America’s Sweetheart. With great fanfare came the not-so-great glare of the spotlight as her love life frequently made headlines around the globe, and both of her high-profile marriages — to Brad Pitt from 2000 to 2005 and Justin Theroux from 2015 to 2018 — ended in divorce.
For a time, Aniston felt typecast as the girl next door, but she shook off the label with a dramatic and Golden Globe-nominated turn in 2014’s Cake, where she portrayed a grieving addict, and more recently in Apple TV+’s hit The Morning Show, for which she won a 2021 SAG Award and earned two Emmy nods. Through all the ups and downs, the actress remained remarkably grounded, navigating personal and professional highs and lows with gratitude and grace.
Being one of the most famous women in the world came at a price for Aniston. Since the mid-’90s, the public has been fascinated by her — her hair, her body, her family, her romantic interests, her most personal decisions. She said “years and years” of speculation about whether she wanted children was especially hurtful, telling Allure in 2022: “I was trying to get pregnant … It was really hard. I was going through IVF, drinking Chinese teas, you name it…. [There was the] narrative that I was just selfish. I just cared about my career…. And the reason my husband left me, why we broke up and ended our marriage, was because I wouldn’t give him a kid.”
All these years later, the Aniston obsession has barely waned, but a source says the actress has gotten better at tuning out the noise and doing what she has to to protect her privacy and peace. “Jen is thankful for the projects she’s been able to work on and charities she’s been able to shine a light on, but she isn’t a fan of the spotlight, and she doesn’t love being famous. She lives her life as low-key as anyone in her position can.” Adds a second source: “Jen’s relationship with the spotlight has evolved. She’s more pragmatic about it. She’s learned over the years who she can trust.”