Jennifer Aniston Reflects on the Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie ‘Love Triangle’

The ‘Friends’ star opens up about the emotional toll of the public split 20 years ago, admitting she had to “pick herself up by the bootstraps” and move on.

Washington, D.C. – August 12, 2025: In a candid and revealing new interview, actress Jennifer Aniston is reflecting on the highly publicized “love triangle” of 20 years ago that followed her split from Brad Pitt. The ‘Friends’ alum, now 56, opened up about the emotional toll of the breakup and Pitt’s subsequent public relationship with his ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ co-star, Angelina Jolie.

“It was such juicy reading for people,” Aniston said, recalling the media frenzy that surrounded the events. “If they didn’t have their soap operas, they had their tabloids.”

Aniston, who was married to Pitt for five years, admitted that the experience was deeply personal and painful. “It’s a shame that it had to happen, but it happened,” she said. “And boy did I take it personally.” She shared her mindset at the time, explaining that she had to rely on her resilience to get through it. “Just pick yourself up by the bootstraps,” she recalled telling herself, “and keep on walking, girl.”

The actress also brought up the infamous 2005 photoshoot for W magazine, titled “Domestic Bliss,” which featured Pitt and Jolie posing as a married couple with children. The spread was released shortly after Aniston and Pitt’s divorce, and Aniston had said at the time that a “sensitivity chip” was missing. In her recent interview, she reflected on the experience as “jarring” and said, “It was also such a vulnerable time. But yeah, that was one for the memoirs.”

While the public drama once defined her personal life, Aniston has long since moved on. She was married to Justin Theroux from 2015 to 2018 and has maintained a friendly relationship with Pitt over the years, proving that time can indeed heal old wounds.