Jennifer Aniston Addresses Her 2016 Op-Ed On Not Having Children For 'HuffPost' In A New Interview
The Morning Show icon has been under a microscope in the media since the breakthrough era of her successful career, which has spanned nearly 30 years. Being one of the most gorgeous and famous actresses of her time, people are constantly interested in who she's dating and what she's doing outside of her busy filming schedule.
Over the years, as she's experienced marriages, divorces, and budding relationships, many people have wondered whether or not she would have children. Many speculate it could be because she has played maternal figures and moms before, notably in Friends, and others simply wonder why she hasn't taken what many would regard as the 'next step' in her personal life. Rumors flew around for years that she "didn't want to have children," and some more cruel rumors emerged that she was too big a 'workaholic' to have kids or couldn't have them because she hadn't been in a long enough relationship.
She put the rumors and speculation to rest in 2016, when she wrote a powerful op-ed for the Huffington Post (now HuffPost) about her fertility struggles and journey with considering parenthood titled, "For The Record, I Am Not Pregnant. What I Am Is Fed Up." She noted that she was "complete" whether or not she had children, and noted how "fed up" she was with the media trying to make her feel bad about not having them.
"They didn't know my story, or what I'd been going through over the past 20 years to try to pursue a family, because I don't go out there and tell them my medical woes," she recently told Harper's Bazaar. "That's not anybody's business."
Jennifer Admits The Years Of Media Scrutiny 'Affects' Her
While speaking with Harper's Bazaar, Jennifer spoke more about how not only did she feel inspired to write her op-ed for other women who were going through fertility issues and IVF struggles, but that she wanted to do it so they could see she was human, and that the rumors about her being a cold woman who doesn't want kids hurt her feelings.
"There comes a point when you can't not hear it — the narrative about how I won't have a baby, won't have a family, because I'm selfish, a workaholic," she said. "It does affect me — I'm just a human being. We're all human beings. That's why I thought, 'What the hell?'"
"So it did feel like it was not only for myself, but for any women who were struggling with the same issue," she added.
The actress also hinted at her IVF journey and years of fertility struggles in her statement against Vice President J.D. Vance after he made a viral comment calling Democratic women "a bunch of childless cat ladies with miserable lives."
"I truly can't believe that this is coming from a potential VP of the United States," she wrote in an Instagram story. "All I can say is… Mr Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day. I hope she will not need to turn to IVF as a second option, because you are trying to take that away from her, too."
As for right now, it looks like the actress is still taking things day by day, seemingly enjoying her new budding relationship with reported boyfriend Jim Curtis and strengthening her friendships. Her fans continue to want the best for her, as she continues to tell her story on her terms.