Jennifer Aniston explains ‘emotional’ reason she hasn’t adopted a child
The actress, 56, spoke about her two-decade struggle with infertility recently.
Jennifer Aniston has explained why she chose not to adopt a child during her two-decade struggle with fertility.
The Friends actress, 56, was previously married to Brad Pitt from 2000 until 2005. She then tied the knot with actor Justin Theroux in a non-legally binding ceremony in 2015, but they separated two years later.
Throughout both of her high-profile relationships, Jennifer was frequently subjected to commentary about her child-free status.
Last week she spoke publicly about the scrutiny she faced, sharing that she’d ‘tried to pursue a family for 20 years’.
She’s also now set to speak more about her difficulties in becoming a mother – and why she decided not to adopt during that time.
During an upcoming episode of the Armchair Expert podcast, Jennifer has explained why adoption was never a consideration for her.
The actress recently detailed a 20-year struggle with infertility (Picture: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images) She rose to fame in the 1990s when starring on Friends (Picture: Vinnie Zuffante/ Getty Images)When co-host Monica Padman discussed her experience freezing her eggs and questioning whether she wanted children or not, Jennifer said she found ‘peace’ being on the other side of that struggle.
‘It’s so peaceful,’ she shared. ‘But I will say there’s a point where it’s like out of my control. There’s literally nothing I can do about it.’
‘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.”
Although the actress said that at times, she’s met romantic partners and considered that they would have ‘made some good kids’, the sentiment will then ‘pass within three seconds’.
She went on to explain that it was something that was romanticised after being ‘on the other side of it because it’s out of your control’.
Jennifer was married to Brad Pitt from 2000 until 2005 (Picture: Dan Callister/ Getty Images) She was then in a relationship with Justin Theroux from 2011 until 2017 (Picture:JB Lacroix/ WireImage)
‘It just wasn’t in the plan, whatever the plan was,’ she said.
‘It’s very emotional, especially in the moment when they say “that’s it”, because there is a weird moment when that happens.’
‘They didn’t know my story. They didn’t know what I’d been going through for twenty years to try to pursue a family because I don’t go out there and tell them my medical woes,’ she shared.
‘That’s not anybody’s business. But there comes a point when you can’t not hear it – the narrative about how I won’t have a baby, won’t have a family, because I’m selfish, a workaholic. It does affect me – I’m just a human being. We’re all human beings.’
Jennifer Aniston relationship timelineDaniel McDonald (1990-1995): Before she rose to fame, Jennifer dated a man named Daniel, whom she described as her ‘first love’. Daniel sadly died from cancer in 2007. She once said of him: ‘He would have been the one.’
Adam Duritz (1995): After she split from Daniel and became a household name with her role on Friends, Jennifer briefly dated Adam Duritz, the singer of the band Counting Crows.
Tate Donovan (1995-1998): Jennifer and Tate dated for three years and eventually split in 1998. Ironically, the two split just as Tate was briefly cast in Friends as Rachel’s love interest Joshua for six episodes.
Brad Pitt (1998-2005): Jennifer and Brad first met each other in 1998, with their budding love highly publicised. They tied the knot in 2000, but finalised their divorce in 2005.
Vince Vaughan (2005-2006): Shortly after she separation from Brad, Jennifer began dating actor Vince Vaughn. She once described him as ‘the defibrillator who brought me back to life’.
John Mayer (2008-2009): Jennifer and musician John Mayer briefly dated, but despite having a ‘deep relationship’ they called it quits for ‘life reasons’.
Justin Theroux (2011-2017): Two years after her split from John, Jennifer met actor and direction Justin Theroux – cousin to documentarian Louis. They became engaged in 2012 but separated in 2017.
In 2022, Jennifer told Allure that she had ‘zero regrets’ for how things turned out after the end of her fertility journey ‘several years ago’.
‘Here I am today. The ship has sailed,’ 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 few months ago, Jennifer appeared to confirm a new relationship – with hypnotist and life coach Jim Curtis.
Posting a series of snaps on Instagram to mark the end of summer, one of the final photos showed the back of a man looking out over the ocean at a sunset.
She seemed to soft-launch a new relationship over the summer (Picture: James Devaney/ GC Images)Despite her efforts to hide his identity, many speculated the man shown was Jim – who she had been spotted with on a luxury yacht together, with the two holding hands and sitting on a bench a few weeks earlier.
Shortly after that, the pair were spotted leaving a restaurant together, with Friends star Courteney also at the dinner with her partner, singer-songwriter Johnny McDaid.
A source later told the Daily Mail: ‘They do everything together, they are always together, and if they have to be away from each other, they are on the phone all the time. They are so hot and heavy, it’s crazy.
‘The amazing thing is that they click really well because they have the same interests like meditation, yoga, therapy and dogs,’ the source continued.
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