Jennifer Aniston: A 20-year secret battle to have a baby — and the truth behind the 'selfish workaholic' myth
Jennifer Aniston, 56, reveals in Harper's Bazaar UK's November issue that she endured a 20-year private fight to start a family. She confronts the false narrative that she didn't want to become a mother because she is a 'selfish workaholic' and explains she kept her medical struggles private. She says it hurts to be misunderstood and asks, 'What the hell?' when confronted with the relentless misrepresentation of her choices.
Behind the rumor: a private IVF journey and the cost of public misperception
The 20-year journey to become a mother involved a private medical road that she rarely shared with the world. 'That’s not anybody’s business,' she says of her medical woes, yet the pervasive narrative about her not wanting children persisted. 'The news cycle is so fast, it just goes away,' she notes, adding that she doesn't always correct every wrong, because her family and friends know her truth. In 2022 she publicly revealed an unsuccessful IVF attempt and that she wished she had frozen her eggs earlier. 'It was a challenging road for me, the baby-making road,' she said, detailing the IVF journey and other efforts as she pursued pregnancy.
Aging, love, and a future beyond the expiration-date myth in Hollywood
Aniston challenges the idea that women have an expiration date in show business. 'The societal idea of an expiration date just doesn’t exist anymore — it’s an old ideology. We’re here and we’re more than half the population... the wisdom older women have to contribute is extraordinary.' Her personal life has been a well-documented journey: she was married to Brad Pitt from 2000 to 2005; they split as he began a relationship with Angelina Jolie, who would later have six children with him. She married Justin Theroux in 2015; they divorced in 2018. In March, Theroux remarried Nicole Brydon Bloom; Aniston publicly congratulated him and remained friends. In July, reports surfaced that Aniston had found love again with hypnotist Jim Curtis; insiders told the Daily Mail she is happy but taking things slowly. The November issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK, featuring black-and-white photos, marks a new chapter for the star and is on sale October 9.
