Jennifer Aniston is finally sharing the real reason she chose not to adopt after years of speculation about her personal life.
For two decades, the Friends star quietly faced a deeply emotional battle to have a baby — one that ultimately ended several years ago after multiple IVF attempts.
Coming to Terms With What She Can’t Control
Speaking on an upcoming episode of the Armchair Expert podcast, the 56-year-old actress reflected on how difficult it was to accept that motherhood wasn’t going to happen in the way she’d hoped.
“There’s a point where it’s out of my control,” Jennifer admitted. “There’s literally nothing I can do about it.
When people say, ‘But you can adopt,’ I just don’t want to adopt.
I wanted my own DNA in a little person. That’s what I always imagined.”
It’s a rare moment of openness from Aniston, who said she has now made peace with her infertility.
“It just wasn’t in the plan, whatever that plan was,” she said softly. “It’s very emotional, especially when the doctors say, ‘That’s it.’
There’s this weird silence that follows, like your body’s just letting go of a dream.”
The Quiet Moments of Reflection
Aniston recalled how she once thought she and some of her past partners “would have made some good kids,” but she said those thoughts often passed quickly.
“It would hit me for about three seconds, then I’d move on,” she added, sounding more at peace than regretful.
Why Jennifer Finally Spoke Up
Back in 2016, Jennifer decided to address public speculation about her fertility struggles head-on in a viral Huffington Post essay titled “Fed Up.”
At the time, she wrote powerfully that “we are complete with or without a mate, with or without a child.”
Now, she’s explaining why she felt compelled to write that piece.
“People didn’t know my story or what I’d been through for 20 years trying to start a family,” she said in her Harper’s Bazaar UK cover story.
“I don’t go around sharing my medical history — that’s no one’s business.
But when you constantly hear this narrative that I won’t have a baby because I’m selfish or a workaholic, it gets to you. I’m human.”
Jennifer said she wrote the essay not just for herself, but for every woman struggling silently with fertility challenges.
“I knew a lot of women at the time who were going through IVF,” she said. “It felt like I was speaking for all of us.”
Reflecting on Her Past Relationships
Jennifer’s personal life has often played out in the public eye.
She was famously married to Brad Pitt for five years before they split in 2005 — just months after he began filming Mr. & Mrs. Smith with Angelina Jolie.
Pitt and Jolie later went on to have and adopt six children together, most of whom are now adults.
After that, Jennifer met actor Justin Theroux on the set of Wanderlust in 2011.
The pair tied the knot in an intimate, non-legally binding ceremony a year later, but their relationship ended in 2017.
Embracing Family in Her Own Way
Even though she never became a mother in the traditional sense, Jennifer still has strong family bonds.
She’s a proud godmother to her Friends co-star Courteney Cox’s daughter, Coco Arquette, who’s now 21.
At home, she dotes on her two dogs — Lord Chesterfield, a Labrador Retriever, and Clyde, a Schnauzer mix — who she often refers to as her “babies.”
Finding Love Again and Healing Through Hypnosis
These days, Jennifer has quietly moved on and is said to be dating hypnotist Jim Curtis, whom she reportedly met while seeking help for her fear of flying.
The two have been together since the summer and seem to share a deep connection.
Interestingly, Curtis has also been open about his own struggles.
In his 2017 book The Stimulati Experience, he admitted he sometimes found it hard to maintain long-term relationships and wished for a closer bond with his teenage son, who lives with his mother in New York.
Back to Business With The Morning Show
Professionally, Jennifer continues to thrive. She reportedly earns a staggering $2 million per episode as she reprises her role as UBA anchor Alex Levy in the fourth season of The Morning Show on Apple TV+.
The hit drama, loosely based on Brian Stelter’s book Top of the Morning, follows the aftermath of a fictional TV network merger — and Jennifer’s portrayal continues to win praise.
Inspired by legendary journalist Diane Sawyer, Aniston also serves as an executive producer on the series, proving she’s still one of Hollywood’s most powerful women behind the camera.
What’s Next for Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer isn’t slowing down anytime soon. She’s set to produce and star in Apple TV+’s upcoming adaptation of Jennette McCurdy’s bestselling memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died, and she’s also producing a modern-day Gen Z reboot of the classic workplace comedy 9 to 5, written by Diablo Cody.
Even after all the challenges she’s faced, Jennifer’s story is one of resilience, acceptance, and strength — a reminder that fulfillment doesn’t always come from following the traditional path.
As she’s proven time and again, happiness comes from embracing the life you’ve built, not the one you imagined.