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Jennifer Anistonhas plenty of gratitude for her past relationships.
In 2019, she opened up about her marriages with exesBrad PittandJustin Theroux. “My marriages, they’ve beenvery successful, in [my] personal opinion,” she said. “And when they came to an end, it was a choice that was made because we chose to be happy, and sometimes happiness doesn’t exist within that arrangement anymore.”
Aniston continued, “Sure, there were bumps, and not every moment felt fantastic, obviously, but at the end of it, this is our one life and I would not stay in a situation out of fear. Fear of being alone. Fear of not being able to survive. To stay in a marriage based on fear feels like you’re doing your one life a disservice.”
In addition to her nuptials, Aniston has had several other high-profile relationships over the years, but she’slooking for one outside the industry. “That’d be nice,” she told PEOPLE in 2021.
Perhaps part of the reason she’d like to date outside the industry is because of her late parents, fellow actorsNancy DowandJohn Aniston, who divorced when she was young. TheFriendsalum spoke about howher parents' dynamicinfluenced her personal life during an August 2023 interview withWSJ. Magazine.
“My parents, watching my family’s relationship, didn’t make me kind of go, ‘Oh, I can’t wait to do that,' " Aniston admitted.
“I didn’t like the idea of sacrificing who you were or what you needed, so I didn’t really know how to do that,” she added. “So it was almost easier to just be kind of solo. So I didn’t have any real training in that give-and-take.”
Here’s a look back atJennifer Aniston’s dating history.
Charlie Schlatter
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection
Daniel McDonald
Reisig & Taylor/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal ; Walter McBride/Corbis
From 1990 until 1995, Aniston dated actor Daniel McDonald, who died from brain cancer in February 2007, according toPlaybill. “He was my first love — five years we were together,” she toldThe New York Timesin 2015. “He would have been the one. But I was 25, and I was stupid. He must have sent me Justin [Theroux] to make up for it all.”
Adam Duritz
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In 1995, Aniston briefly datedCounting CrowsfrontmanAdam Duritzafter meeting atThe Viper Room.
“A bunch of my friends lied to me and told me shehad a crushon me,” Duritz recalled in 2021. “And those same friends lied to her and told her I had a crush on her. I honestly had no idea who she was.”
Duritz continued, “She was nice, really funny, really pretty. Those are pretty good requirements for me and also she liked me. It didn’t last very long, but she’s a nice girl.”
Tate Donovan
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In 1995, thePicture Perfectactress started dating actorTate Donovan, who hadjust ended his relationshipwithSandra Bullock. In 1998, he was cast as Rachel Green’s love interest onFriends— just as their off-screen relationship ended.
“He seems to have a type,” Aniston later joked with Bullock in 2020, discussing their former mutual boyfriend.
A few years after he and Aniston broke up, Donovan went on to marry Corinne Kingsbury, though they divorced in 2008.
Brad Pitt
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Aniston andBrad Pitt’s managersintroduced the pairin 1994, but it wasn’t until 1998 that they went on their first date. The following year, they made their red carpet debut at the 51st Emmy Awards. They announced their engagement in November at aStingconcert, where they showed off Aniston’s ring on stage.
Pittmade a guest appearanceonFriends' Thanksgiving episode in 2001, playing a character who hated Aniston’s Rachel Green. As the show neared its end, the actress hinted that she and Pitt may have been ready to have a child together.
The statement continued, “This decision is the result of much thoughtful consideration. We happily remain committed and caring friends with great love and admiration for one another. We ask in advance for your kindness and sensitivity in the coming months.”
Aniston officiallyfiled for divorcein March, and thesplit was finalizedin October. In 2020, the exes werespotted chattingat the 2020 Screen Actors Guild Awards, butthey have maintainedthey arejust friends.
Vince Vaughn
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In summer 2005, Aniston began dating her costarVince Vaughnwhile filmingThe Break-Upin Chicago. “She’s awesome,” Vaughn told PEOPLE in June. “She has just a wonderful warmth and likability about her.”
By December 2006, however, Aniston and Vaughn had called it quits. “After Jennifer’s trip to London several weeks ago, Jennifer and Vince mutually agreed toend their relationshipbut continue to be good friends today,” their reps told PEOPLE.
Aniston stayed silent about the split until 2008, when shelooked back fondlyon their short time together. “I call Vince my defibrillator,” she toldVogue. “He literally brought me back to life. My first gasp of air was a big laugh! It was great. I love him. He’s a bull in a china shop. He was lovely and fun and perfect for the time we had together. And I needed that. And it sort of ran its course.”
John Mayer
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After meeting at an Oscars party in early 2008, Aniston andJohn Mayerdated on-and-off for about a year.
By August,things fizzled outfor the couple. “I ended a relationship to be alone, because I don’t want to waste somebody’s time if something’s not right,” Mayer told reporters.
The couplebriefly reunitedin February 2009 and attendedthe Oscarstogether, where Aniston was a presenter. However,they ended their relationshipagain shortly after.
“They had some disagreements and decided to not continue to see each other,” a source told PEOPLE at the time. “Jen is moving on with her life like she always does. She seems happy.”
In 2010, the “Gravity” singer said of their split, “I’ve never really gotten over it. It was one of the worst times of my life.”
Justin Theroux
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Aniston and Theroux made their final public appearance as a couple in July 2017 atJason Bateman’s Hollywood Walk of Famestar ceremony. Days after Aniston’s birthday in 2018, the couple announced thatthey had separatedafter two-and-a-half years of marriage.
“In an effort to reduce any further speculation, we have decided to announce our separation,” the couple said in a statement. “This decision was mutual and lovingly made at the end of last year. We are two best friends who have decided to part ways as a couple, but look forward to continuing our cherished friendship.”
They continued, “Normally we would do this privately, but given that the gossip industry cannot resist an opportunity to speculate and invent, we wanted to convey the truth directly. … Above all, we are determined to maintain the deep respect and love that we have for one another.”
Aniston and Theroux have remained supportive of each other in the years following their divorce, regularlykeeping in touchand evencelebrating each other’s birthdays.
source: people.com
