Jennifer Aniston shared heartbreaking insight into her 20-year battle with fertility in a candid new interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK, where she admitted how difficult it was to endure speculation as to why she hadn’t welcomed children. The Friends star refuted the rumor that had been touted in the past, which claimed that she never had kids due to being a “selfish workaholic”. Jennifer added: “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.”

“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,” she continued. “It does affect me – I’m just a human being. We’re all human beings. That’s why I thought, ‘What the hell?’”

The Morning Show actress explained that she wanted to “correct a false narrative” and speak up about what had been said in the past, yet realized that it wasn’t necessary as long as her inner circle knew the whole story. “The news cycle is so fast, it just goes away,” she said of the rumors.

“Of course, there are times when I feel that sense of justice – when something has been said that isn’t true and I need to right the wrong. And then I think, do I really? My family knows my truth, my friends know my truth.” Jennifer was married to Brad Pitt from 2000 to 2005, and to Justin Theroux from 2015 to 2018. She tried IVF treatment for years before accepting that children were not in the cards for her.

“It was a challenging road for me, the baby-making road,” she revealed in a 2022 interview with Allure. “My late 30s, 40s, I’d gone through really hard [expletive], and if it wasn’t for going through that, I would’ve never become who I was meant to be. I was trying to get pregnant.” She added that dealing with the public speculation around her fertility was “really hard” and that she had tried everything to fall pregnant.

jennifer aniston morning wars premiere© Variety via Getty Images
Jennifer opened up about her fertility journey

“I would’ve given anything if someone had said to me, ‘Freeze your eggs. Do yourself a favor. You just don’t think it. So here I am today. The ship has sailed. But I have zero regrets,” she declared. Jennifer explained that moving past childbearing age has brought her “a little relief now”, as she no longer has to wonder if it will happen.

Jennifer Aniston is set to return in The Morning Show season 4© Apple TV+
The actress revealed that the constant speculation around her fertility was painful

“There is no more, ‘Can I? Maybe. Maybe. Maybe’. I don’t have to think about that anymore…I’ve spent so many years protecting my story about IVF. I’m so protective of these parts because I feel like there’s so little that I get to keep to myself.” The 56-year-old touched on the cruel rumor that her split with Brad Pitt was caused by the fact that she wouldn’t give him a child.

Jennifer Aniston with her is goddaughter Coco Arquette© Getty
Jennifer is godmother to Courteney’s daughter Coco

“It was absolute lies. I don’t have anything to hide at this point,” she said. “And God forbid a woman is successful and doesn’t have a child.” Despite not having children of her own, Jennifer is a doting aunt to many of her friends’ children, including Courteney Cox’s daughter Coco, and Justin Bateman’s daughters Francesca and Maple.