Jennifer Aniston knows all about the gossip surrounding her personal life — she just doesn’t care.
The “Friends” star, 52, scoffed at one longtime rumor that has haunted her over the years in a new “Hollywood Reporter” interview, quipping, “Am I still having twins? Am I going to be the miracle mother at 52?”
Aniston, who has been divorced twice and has no children, also took aim at another double standard she’s faced for years now:
“Men can be married as many times as they want to, they can marry [younger] women in their 20s or 30s,” she said. “Women aren’t allowed to do that.”
The “Morning Show” actress explained that although she hasn’t read a tabloid in “so long,” she feels that scrutinizing role has been filled by the public, thanks to social media.
“It’s almost like the media handed over the sword to any Joe Schmo sitting behind a computer screen to be a troll or whatever they call them and bully people in comment sections,” she said. “So it’s just sort of changed hands in a way. And I don’t know why there’s such a cruel streak in society. I often wonder what they get off on.”
She added, “What the tabloids and the media did to people’s personal lives back then, regular people are doing now.”
Aniston was married to Brad Pitt from 2000 to 2005 and Justin Theroux from 2015 to 2017. She has also dated the likes of John Mayer and Vince Vaughn.
However, the “We’re the Millers” star did point out that some women are able to surprisingly escape the criticism:
“Dolly Parton never had kids. But are people giving her s–t for it?,” she asked THR. “No, no one’s tried to put her in a white picket fence.”
But despite the scrutiny over the triumphs and hardships in her personal life, Aniston said she doesn’t like to “sit comfortably in victimhood” because it’s what she saw her late mother, Nancy Dow, do throughout her life.
“I knew that this person was giving me an example of what I’d never want to be, and I will never ever be that,” she said. “I think it’s toxic, and it erodes your insides and your soul.”
Aniston explained that, amid all of the chatter, she had to make a conscious effort to rise above.
“Either I’m going to surrender into bonbons and living under my covers or I’m going to go out there and find a creative outlet and thrive, and that’s what I did.”
But her confidence was not something that happened overnight. The “Morning Show” star admitted that she once she resented being type-cast in romantic comedy roles and even once asked herself, “Maybe I can’t [get other roles]? Maybe there’s a reason that no one [is giving me these opportunities].”
“Now, so much is self-generated,” she explained, “which is great since I wasn’t going to get the jobs I’m really interested in because the industry isn’t secure enough to say, ‘Yeah, let’s try it.’”
Aniston has now reconciled with the entirety of her CV, and says she is still proud of her lighter roles that once made her feel ashamed.
“It’s a different caliber of work but I love it, no matter what, even if it’s a terribly reviewed, dumb comedy, it doesn’t matter if it brings me joy,” she said.
Still, Aniston is struggling to figure out whether the film industry’s current form is her cup of tea.
“It’s not that glamorous anymore,” she said of the movie biz. “It’s slowly becoming about TikTok and Instagram followers.”
The “Just Go With It” star — who joined Instagram in October 2019 — concluded, “It’s like, we’re hiring now based on followers, not talent? Oh, dear. And I’m losing touch. I’m not great at going, ‘I’m going to stay relevant and join TikTok.’”