Getty Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston has been one of most recognizable faces on the planet for over 25 years. The actress and comedienne has also been the subject of intense media scrutiny regarding her personal life, and the fact she has never had children despite being married twice. Aniston has consistently been forthright with her reasons, and shut down many rumors regarding motherhood.
The speculation regarding Aniston’s desire to have children stemmed from her divorce from Brad Pitt in 2005. There were those who accused the actress of being reluctant to start a family with Pitt, and prioritizing her career instead, but she denied these claims during a Vanity Fair interview. “A man divorcing would never be accused of choosing career over children. That really p*sses me off,” she pointed out. “I’ve never in my life said I didn’t want to have children. I did and I do and I will!”
Aniston Denied Claims That She Didn’t Have Kids with Brad Pitt Because of Her Career
“The women that inspire me are the ones who have careers and children,” Aniston continued. “Why would I want to limit myself? I’ve always wanted to have children, and I would never give up that experience for a career. I want to have it all.” Aniston was subsequently married to actor Justin Theorux, but the couple split in 2017 after just two years and had no children.
Aniston has become increasingly reluctant to have children in recent years. In 2016, she published an opinion piece for the Huffington Post, where she denied rumors that she was pregnant and criticized media outlets who scrutinized her for her figure. “For the record, I am not pregnant. What I am is fed up. I’m fed up with the sport-like scrutiny and body shaming that occurs daily under the guise of journalism,” she wrote.
Aniston Has Said That She Finds Motherhood to Be ‘Kind of Frightening’
“The objectification and scrutiny we put women through is absurd and disturbing,” Aniston continued. “Here’s where I come out on this topic: we are complete with or without a mate, with or without a child. We get to decide for ourselves what is beautiful when it comes to our bodies. That decision is ours and ours alone.” Aniston then said that she might become a mother some day, but that her decision has nothing to do with a sense of feeling “incomplete.”
“I may become a mother some day, and since I’m laying it all out there, if I ever do, I will be the first to let you know,” she wrote. “But I’m not in pursuit of motherhood because I feel incomplete in some way, as our celebrity news culture would lead us all to believe. I resent being made to feel ‘less than’ because my body is changing and/or I had a burger for lunch and was photographed from a weird angle. Not to mention the painful awkwardness that comes with being congratulated by friends, coworkers and strangers alike on one’s fictional pregnancy (often a dozen times in a single day).”
During a 2018 interview with Elle, Aniston admitted that she’s come to find the concept of motherhood intimidating. “[I find it] quite honestly, kind of frightening,” she said. “Some people are just built to be wives and have babies. I don’t know how naturally that comes to me.”