For the first time, actress Jennifer Aniston is opening up about her desire to become a mother and the IVF journey she took. In an interview with Allure, the star of The Morning Show candidly discussed going through IVF and having to dodge pregnancy rumors for years.
The Friends star has been in the spotlight for decades and has faced scrutiny for not having children and has been at the helm of pregnancy rumors. Back in 2016, Jennifer penned an essay for The Huffington Post where she didn’t mince words when it came to the conversation about her and motherhood. “For the record, I am not pregnant. What I am is fed up. [Women] 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.”
In her Allure interview, the LolaVie founder revealed for the first time that she did want a family. “I was trying to get pregnant. It was a challenging road for me, the baby-making road.” She continued by candidly sharing how the speculation about her struggle to get pregnant weighed on her. “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. 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.” Despite not being able to become a mother, Jennifer doesn’t have any regrets. “I have zero regrets. I actually feel a little relief now because there is no more, ‘Can I? Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.’ I don’t have to think about that anymore.”
The actress opened up about the harsh narrative surrounding what appeared at the time to be an outward choice to now have children. “[The] narrative that I was just selfish. I just cared about my career. And God forbid a woman is successful and doesn’t have a child. And the reason my husband left me, why we broke up and ended our marriage, was because I wouldn’t give him a kid. It was absolute lies. I don’t have anything to hide at this point.”
“I’ve spent so many years protecting my story about IVF,” the Murder Mystery star shared at the close of her interview.” I’m so protective of these parts because I feel like there’s so little that I get to keep to myself. The [world] creates narratives that aren’t true, so I might as well tell the truth. I feel like I’m coming out of hibernation. I don’t have anything to hide.” Thank you to Jennifer for her openness to discuss such heavy topics in a time where so many can benefit from her words.
Kate Fann (she/her) is the BabyNames.com celebrity blogger, as well as an established content writer, aspiring author, and social media expert. She has been featured in online publications such as Bolde, ManoByte, Medium, The Social Observer, and more. Kate has ghostwritten numerous romance novels and is currently working on publishing her own works in the Young Adult genre.
Kate lives in East Tennessee with her husband Casey and her two sons, Quinn and Noah. When she's not writing or scrolling Instagram, Kate can be found tasting delicious wines, playing with make-up, baking yummy treats, or hiking the beautiful Smoky Mountains.
