Not only was Friends coming to an end but behind the scenes, Jennifer Aniston was dealing with other heartbreak behind the scenes.
Jennifer Aniston recently spoke candidly on The Ellen Show about how she dealt with the ending of the 90s hit sitcom Friends.
In the interview, she opens up about divorce, therapy, and new beginnings.
Jennifer Aniston Became A Star Thanks To ‘Friends’
In the show that first aired on September 22, 1994, and ended with its last episode on May 6, 2004, Aniston starred as Rachel Green, a waitress turned executive at Ralph Lauren for 10 years who lived with roommate Monica Geller (played by Courtney Cox) and was on again/off again with Monica’s older brother, Ross (David Schwimmer, who was revealed to have a real-life crush on Aniston during filming).
Alongside their best friends, Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), and Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), the show depicts the day-to-day activities of the 6 hilarious New Yorkers. Friends was very successful, with its most-viewed episode gaining a record-breaking 52.9 million viewers during its second season. With the show achieving its status as one of the most viewed sitcoms in American history, it’s no wonder why Aniston had a hard time coping with its ending.
Jennifer Aniston And Brad Pitt’s Divorce Happened Towards The End Of ‘Friends’
On top of the show ending, she would also go through a highly publicized divorce from her superstar husband, Brad Pitt. After 5 years of marriage and just shy of a year after the series finale, the couple announced their split in January 2005. Rumors started flying around Hollywood about how Brad Pitt might’ve cheated on Aniston with Mr. and Mrs. Smith co-star, Angelina Jolie, with whom he eventually tied the knot in August 2014.
According to a Vogue article published in 2008, when asked about how she felt towards Jolie, Aniston recounted reading articles where Jolie made remarks about falling in love with Brad Pitt while he was still married. “There was stuff printed there that was definitely from a time when I was unaware that it was happening,” says Aniston. “I felt those details were a little inappropriate to discuss. That stuff about how she couldn’t wait to get to work every day? That was really uncool.” Suffice it to say that Aniston had a difficult time dealing with 2 monumental endings in her life.
On The Ellen Show, Aniston brought up how she was able to cope with everything by going to therapy and jumping right into her role as Brooke Meyers in the 2006 romantic comedy movie The Breakup alongside Vince Vaughn. When asked about the experience, she said, “I was like, ‘you know what guys? Let’s make this a completely new chapter’.” It seems as though keeping herself busy and staying focused on her work helped her immensely through this rough patch in her life.
The ‘Friends’ Finale Brought Everyone To Tears
Aniston wasn’t the only cast member of Friends who handled the show’s ending in their own way. Each performer felt that the ending was bittersweet and reminisced on their favorite memories on set. According to Today, Aniston spoke for everyone when the cast was interviewed in the Warner Bros. television studio in 2004. She’s quoted saying, “We’re like very delicate china right now, and we’re speeding toward a brick wall … and inevitable pain.” Lisa Kudrow added, “And we’re going to smash into a million pieces. It’s a deeper loss than I was expecting.”
David Schwimmer spoke about the true meaning of “friends” as he stated, “We really liked each other from the beginning. We were very lucky.” Fans have speculated that there could possibly be something a little more blooming between Aniston and Schwimmer, even all these years later.
Matt LeBlanc reflected on the successful project that took up “a third of my life.”
Matthew Perry looked back fondly on the experience. “It’s a group of people that comes together every week to try and make America laugh,” he stated. “And what better thing is there than that?”
On a lighter note, towards the end of season 10, Monica and Chandler adopt a set of twins while actress Courtney Cox can be seen wearing loose and baggy clothing. As it turns out, she was pregnant with her first child during filming. According to People Magazine, she said that she empathized way more with her character during this time saying, “You can’t help that I’ve become Monica a little, and Monica has become me a little. I think we’ll both be pretty damn good moms.”
The ‘Friends’ Reunion
The Friends Reunion, which aired on HBO Max May 27, 2021, brought the cast to a detailed replica of the original studio set. During the reunion, she was shocked by how hard it was to come back. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she said, “It was all very jarring and, of course, you’ve got cameras everywhere,” later she admitted that she had to excuse herself from the reunion multiple times. “I had to walk out at certain points,” she stated. “I don’t know how they cut around it.”
Aniston, who has had lead roles in the films We’re The Millers, Office Christmas Party, and Horrible Bosses since the Friends finale also spoke about her latest starring role on the Apple TV+ series called The Morning Show alongside Reese Witherspoon. In the show, she plays presenter Alex Levy in a role that has won her the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. America’s sweetheart has continued to be a household name and a successful actress in the years since her groundbreaking role as Rachel Green. Her achievements speak highly of her ability to withstand great amounts of emotional hardship and still come out the other side with that smile everyone fell in love with all those years ago.