It's been 17 years since Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt got divorced. If you look back at the comments that they've made about each other over the years, you can see how the split went from still being a sensitive topic to the stars coming to peace with it and finally, to them having the ability to joke about it. In a new interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Aniston commented on the divorce and joked about how it was part of the "new chapter" she entered after Friends ended. Read on to see what the Morning Show star had to say and how it compares to some of her past comments about the high-profile split.
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Aniston and Pitt split in 2005.
Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.comAniston and Pitt announced their divorce in January 2005 with a joint statement.
"We would like to announce that after seven years together we have decided to formally separate," they said, as reported by Us Weekly. "For those who follow these sorts of things, we would like to explain that our separation is not the result of any speculation reported by the tabloid media. This decision is the result of much thoughtful consideration. We happily remain committed and caring friends with great love and admiration for one another."
Around this time, Pitt's relationship with his Mr. and Mrs. Smith co-star Angelina Jolie began, and the drama among the three actors became a tabloid mainstay for years to come.
Aniston said she was "confused" by the end of her marriage.
Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.comAniston first opened up about her marriage ending in the September 2005 issue of Vanity Fair.
“Am I lonely? Yes. Am I upset? Yes. Am I confused? Yes," she said. "Do I have my days when I’ve thrown a little pity party for myself? Absolutely. But I’m also doing really well. I’ve got an unbelievable support team, and I’m a tough cookie.… I believe in therapy; I think it’s an incredible tool in educating the self on the self. I feel very strong. I’m really proud of how I’ve conducted myself.”
This was also the interview in which Aniston said that she thought Pitt had "a sensitivity chip that’s missing" in regards to him doing a big magazine photoshoot with Jolie not long after the divorce.
She still thinks the marriage was "successful," however.
Everett Collection / ShutterstockIn a 2018 interview with Elle, Aniston said that she believes a marriage ending doesn't mean it wasn't successful. She had broken up with second husband Justin Theroux about a year earlier.
"My marriages, they’ve been very 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 didn’t exist within that arrangement anymore. 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."
She poked fun at her first divorce on Ellen.
Because she was appearing on the final episode of Ellen, the host asked Aniston what she did when Friends went off the air.
"Well, I got a divorce and went to therapy," Aniston said. "Oh, and then I did a movie called The Break-Up. I just kind of leaned into the end. I just was like, you know what guys, let's make this a completely new chapter. Let's just end everything and then start new." She added, "It worked great."
Pitt and Aniston have a friendship now.
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for TurnerIn 2021, Pitt and Aniston made headlines for taking part in a starry virtual table read of the Fast Times at Ridgemont High script and having what fans considered a flirty moment. Later, Howard Stern asked Aniston on his show if that was awkward.
"No, it was absolutely fun," she said. "You know, Brad and I are buddies. Like, we're friends and we speak. And there's no oddness at all, except for everyone that probably watched it and was wanting there to be or assumed it to be."
Pitt has also confirmed that there's no bad blood between them now. At the Golden Globe awards in January 2020, he told Entertainment Tonight, "I'll run into Jen, she's a good friend." Of them being seen together, he added, "The second most important reunion of her year? I understand. That was a play on Friends. They were saying that."
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