Jennifer Aniston’s personal life has been under the public microscope for many years, with particular focus on her relationships and the question of why she has never had children. Recently, she shared insights into her struggles with infertility and the choices she faced during that time.
In a revealing discussion on Dax Shepard and Monica Padman’s Armchair Expert podcast, the Friends actress offered a glimpse into how her experiences have influenced her views on motherhood.
After enduring endless tabloid rumors and conjectures about her private affairs—especially following her 2005 divorce from Brad Pitt—Aniston is finally addressing the speculations, bringing clarity to years of gossip with her forthrightness.
Contrary to public beliefs, adoption was never an option that Aniston, 56, was inclined to pursue.
She expressed to the hosts: “When people say, ‘But you can adopt,’ I don’t want to adopt.
“I want my own DNA in a little person. That’s the only way, selfish or not, whatever that is, I’ve wanted it.”
Previously, Aniston has been transparent about her efforts to conceive, revealing to Allure in 2022 that she had tried various methods, including undergoing IVF.
She explained: “All the years and years and years of speculation. … It was really hard. I was going through IVF, drinking Chinese teas, you name it. I was throwing everything at it.”
She also mentioned that she regrets not being advised to freeze her eggs sooner, saying: “You just don’t think [about] it. So here I am today. The ship has sailed.”
Despite what some might think, Aniston feels a sense of peace and acceptance regarding her experiences, with no lingering regrets about not having children.
In the podcast, when Padman expressed uncertainty about wanting children and asked if Aniston had made peace with her own decision, the actress responded: “It’s so peaceful. But I will say there’s a point where it’s, like, out of my control.
“There’s literally nothing I can do about it.”
Currently in a relationship with life coach Jim Curtis, Aniston reflected on past relationships, musing that some partners would have been good parents.
Yet, she mentioned these thoughts “pass within three seconds”.
In another interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK, Aniston addressed the ongoing speculation surrounding her personal life, particularly the narrative that labeled her as self-centered for not having children.
She remarked: “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.”
Commenting on this treatment, which persists to this day, she added: “That’s not anybody’s business. But 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.
“It does affect me – I’m just a human being. We’re all human beings. That’s why I thought, ‘What the hell?’.”