Jennifer Aniston is opening up about friendship, Hollywood history, and the lingering grief over her late “Friends” co-star Matthew Perry.
“We did everything we could when we could,” Aniston told Vanity Fair. “But it almost felt like we’d been mourning Matthew for a long time because his battle with that disease was a really hard one for him to fight.”
In the magazine’s September cover story, published Aug. 11, Aniston reflected on her close relationships, revealing that her inner circle includes Gwyneth Paltrow — who was once engaged to Aniston’s ex-husband, Brad Pitt. The two met through David Schwimmer while he was filming The Pallbearer with Paltrow, and Aniston even attended Paltrow and Pitt’s engagement party.
“Oh, of course,” she said when asked if they ever discuss their shared ex. “How can we not? We’re girls. But more than anything, we’re always swapping advice.”
Aniston also revisited the media frenzy that surrounded her 2005 divorce from Pitt, describing it as “the love triangle” era. “It was such juicy reading for people,” she said. “If they didn’t have their soap operas, they had their tabloids.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Aniston discussed Perry’s struggles with addiction. The actor died in October 2023 at 54 from the “acute effects of ketamine,” according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office. Aniston said that while his loss was painful, she finds solace in believing he is no longer suffering.
“I’m glad he’s out of that pain,” she said.