Jennifer Aniston says she 'took it personally' when media turned her divorce with Brad Pitt into 'juicy reading'

Jennifer Aniston has opened up about the intense media scrutiny she faced during her highly publicized divorce from Brad Pitt, calling the tabloid coverage “juicy reading for people” and admitting she “took it personally.”

In a new interview with Vanity Fair, the Friends star reflected on the aftermath of her 2005 split, describing the experience of speaking publicly at that time as “kind of jarring” and “such a vulnerable” period in her life.

“It was such juicy reading for people. If they didn’t have their soap operas, they would have their tabloids. It’s a shame that it had to happen, but it happened. And boy did I take it personally,” Aniston said.

The actor also revealed that her role in the 2006 romantic dramedy The Break-Up came at just the right time emotionally. Producers, she said, were “a little nervous” about offering her the part of Brooke Meyers, fearing it might be “insensitive” given her recent split. But Aniston saw it as a “great opportunity” that would “benefit [her] emotionally” while serving the story well.

Aniston and Pitt married on July 29, 2000, announced their separation on January 7, 2005, and finalized their divorce on October 2 that same year.

In the same Vanity Fair interview, Aniston also addressed the struggles with substance abuse faced by her late friend and Friends co-star Matthew Perry.

She will next appear in season 4 of The Morning Show, premiering September 17 on Apple TV+.