Hollywood friendships can sometimes feel more like headlines than heart, but Reese Witherspoon wants people to know that her 25-year bond with Jennifer Aniston is as genuine as it gets.
And according to Reese, the woman the public thinks they know — isn’t the real Jen at all.
“She’s Not Who People Think She Is”
Speaking candidly on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, Reese reflected on her long friendship with the Friends star, calling her “warm, nurturing, and kind.”
She pushed back on the idea that Jennifer is cold or bitter, insisting that the actress has always been “lovely and welcoming” despite everything she’s faced in her personal life.
“Jen’s not who people think she is,” Reese said firmly. “She’s been through her own stuff, and she has reason to be a little guarded — but she’s not.
She’s very warm and friendly. She’s a big host.
I think people are unfair sometimes, and that’s made me cry.”
Reese Gets Emotional Defending Her Friend
The Legally Blonde star went on to share that she’s even broken down in interviews while defending Aniston.
“I’ve cried because I just think people are so unfair sometimes,” she admitted.
“They make assumptions about her. She’s not holding onto old things. She’s not bitter. She’s not angry. She’s just… Jen.”
Setting the Record Straight About Brad Pitt
Of course, fans were quick to wonder whether Reese’s comments were aimed at long-running tabloid stories that painted Jennifer as still heartbroken over her ex-husband Brad Pitt — who famously left her for Angelina Jolie in 2005 after they filmed Mr. and Mrs. Smith together.
But when host Dax Shepard directly asked if that’s what she meant, Reese laughed it off. “No, she’s doing great,” she said.
“At her 50th birthday — one of the biggest testaments I can say to what a wonderful person she is — everyone was there.
People from her teenage years, her twenties, people she’s worked with, even ex-boyfriends and ex-husbands.
That’s just who she is — someone with incredibly high spiritual integrity.”
A Birthday to Remember
Jennifer celebrated her 50th birthday in February 2019 with a star-studded bash at the Sunset Tower Hotel in Los Angeles.
Among those in attendance were her ex-husband Brad Pitt and former partner Justin Theroux — a detail that surprised fans but, according to Reese, perfectly summed up who Jen really is: gracious, open-hearted, and at peace with her past.
A New Chapter in Love
Now 56, Jennifer seems to be in a happy new chapter of her life.
She recently went public with her relationship with Jim Curtis, a transformational coach and master hypnotherapist.
The actress shared a tender black-and-white photo of the couple embracing on Instagram, writing, “Happy birthday my love. Cherished.”
The post marked the first time Jennifer has confirmed their romance, after being linked to Jim earlier in July.
It’s a quiet, confident kind of happiness — one that seems to suit her perfectly.
The Jennifer Aniston People Don’t See
To Reese, the world’s fascination with Jennifer’s love life has always missed the real story.
“She’s not dwelling on the past,” Reese emphasized.
“She’s grown, she’s happy, and she’s just the most loving person.”
After more than two decades of friendship, Witherspoon’s words reveal a Jennifer Aniston the public rarely gets to see — one defined not by heartbreak or gossip, but by kindness, humour, and an easy warmth that’s stood the test of Hollywood time.