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Jennifer Aniston is finally shedding light on one of the most scrutinized chapters of her life, and she's not sugarcoating the impact it had on her. In a new interview, the "Friends" alum admitted that she still carries "some PTSD" from the media circus that surrounded her 2005 divorce from Brad Pitt, a moment she describes as "such a vulnerable time" that the press turned into an endless soap opera.
Back then, Pitt had just finished filming "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" with Angelina Jolie, sparking rumors of an on-set romance. Within months of Aniston and Pitt's split announcement, tabloids plastered photos of Pitt vacationing in Kenya with Jolie and her son Maddox. The so-called "love triangle" became one of the biggest celebrity scandals of the decade, with every detail dissected in headlines, gossip shows, and magazine covers.
© Getty ImagesAniston's first post-split interview with Vanity Fair became a cultural moment. Now, she admits she hasn't revisited that article in years. "I just remember the experience of doing it — which was kind of jarring," she said. "It was also such a vulnerable time. But yeah, that was one for the memoirs."
Looking back, she says the mid-2000s tabloid world was relentless. "Journalism back then felt more like a form of a sport," she reflected. "There's obviously some PTSD we all have, which is why [interviews] scare me."
She recalled how the media "made a meal" out of her heartbreak, treating her, Pitt, and Jolie like characters in a never-ending drama. "It was such juicy reading for people. If they didn't have their soap operas, they had their tabloids," she said.
© Getty ImagesHer "survival approach" at the time? "Just pick yourself up by the bootstraps and keep on walking, girl." But even with that determination, the emotional toll was real. "I didn't have a strong enough constitution" to block out the endless speculation, Aniston admitted. "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 and Pitt had been Hollywood's golden couple since meeting on a blind date in 1998, marrying in 2000, and appearing inseparable, at least until the rumors began. Their January 2005 joint statement painted a picture of mutual respect, but the photos of Pitt and Jolie months later told the press a juicier story, one they wouldn't let go for years.
© Getty ImagesLife eventually moved on for both. Pitt married Jolie in 2014, but the pair split in 2016 amid a highly publicized custody battle. Aniston married Justin Theroux in 2015, but the two divorced amicably in 2018.
Remarkably, despite the intense public fallout, Aniston and Pitt have managed to remain friendly. He attended her 50th birthday party in 2019, and they shared a lighthearted moment at the 2020 SAG Awards. They even reunited virtually for a playful "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" table read during the pandemic.
© Getty Images for TurnerNow, Aniston is much happier, reportedly enjoying a blossoming romance with Jim Curtis, and Pitt is said to be happy for her. But the emotional scars from that earlier media frenzy remain.
"It's a shame that it had to happen," she said of the public spectacle. "But it happened. And boy, did I take it personally."
© Getty Images for SAG-AFTRAFor Aniston, the tabloid storm of 2005 was a lesson in resilience, privacy, and protecting one's peace. If the tabloids of the 2000s were a sport, Jennifer Aniston walked off the field with her head held high.
