Jennifer Aniston Says She Walked Out of 'Friends' Reunion (2024)

By

Liz Calvario

Published:

1:46 PM PST, December 8, 2021

For Jennifer Aniston, reuniting with her Friends co-stars hit her harder than she expected.

The actress reveals that she walked out of the reunion special after being reminded of the "hardest time" in her life.

"Time travel is hard," Aniston tells The Hollywood Reporter in a new interview. "I think we were just so naive walking into it, thinking, 'How fun is this going to be? They’re putting the sets back together, exactly as they were.' Then you get there and it’s like, 'Oh right, I hadn’t thought about what was going on the last time I was actually here.' And it just took me by surprise because it was like, 'Hi, past, remember me? Remember how that sucked? You thought everything was in front of you and life was going to be just gorgeous and then you went through maybe the hardest time in your life?'"

"It was all very jarring and, of course, you’ve got cameras everywhere and I’m already a little emotionally accessible, I guess you could say," she continues. "So I had to walk out at certain points. I don’t know how they cut around it."

When asked what made her emotional about life post Friends, she notes that while she worried about her career, "It was more personal stuff that I had expectations about that sort of shape-shifted, so to speak."

"That was what was jarring, that we all had an idea of what the future was going to be and we were going to go hunker down and focus on this or that and then it all just changed overnight, and that was it," she recalls. "But again, everything’s a blessing if you’re able to look at life’s ups and downs in that way. And if it all hadn’t happened, I would not be sitting here the woman that I am."

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Aniston was part of Friends for 10 seasons, from 1994 to 2004. Amid that time, she dated and married Brad Pitt. The two were husband and wife from 2000 to 2005. While she doesn't name her first ex-husband as part of the difficult memories, the actress notes that she handled tabloids and news surrounding her personal life by finding a creative outlet with her 2006 film, The Break-Up.

"Is it a sliver of an annoyance to have to publicly go through dark sh*t in front of the world? Yes, it’s an inconvenience, but it’s all relative," she explains. "So, I had a choice to make: Either I’m going to surrender into bonbons and living under my covers or I’m going to go out there and find a creative outlet and thrive, and that’s what I did. It just happened to be with a movie called The Break-Up."

Aniston says she was looked at as "the girl next door, the damsel in distress, the brokenhearted," but wanted to break out of that. She even shares that she felt like, because of the way people perceived her, she wasn't secure enough in herself to play the "fancy dramatic roles" and get the parts she wanted.

These days, the Emmy winner doesn't know how Hollywood sees her versus the way she wants to be seen. "I don’t know because I don’t know what the industry is anymore. It’s not the same industry that it used to be," she states. "It’s not that glamorous anymore. It’s slowly becoming about TikTok and Instagram followers. It’s like, we’re hiring now based on followers, not talent? Oh, dear. And I’m losing touch. I’m not great at going, 'I’m going to stay relevant and join TikTok.'"

She's also being "offered a lot of very dark stuff, so I guess be careful what you wish for" and will be booked and busy for the next couple of years with projects she's excited for.

"I’m just getting started. I’ve only recently started to be like, 'Oh, I got this,'" Aniston says of her next chapter. "I think I needed to get over those hurdles of self-doubt and own who I am and where I am and just how long I’ve f**king been here."

For more on Aniston, see below.

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Jennifer Aniston Says She Walked Out of 'Friends' Reunion (2024)

FAQs

Jennifer Aniston Says She Walked Out of 'Friends' Reunion? ›

Jennifer Aniston Had To 'Walk Off Set' Of Friends Reunion After Reminders Of 'Hardest Time' In Her Life. leaving the page. (This story was originally published in 2021.) Jennifer Aniston admitted she had to walk out on filming of the Friends reunion after being reminded of the “hardest time” in her life.

Was Jennifer Aniston going to leave Friends? ›

“The truth was, we were all ready for 'Friends' to be done. For a start, Jennifer Aniston had decided that she didn't want to do the show anymore, and as we all made decisions as a group, that meant we all had to stop,” the late star explained in his 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.”

How much did Jennifer Aniston make from Friends reunion? ›

Yep, sources close to negotiations alleged earlier in 2021 that Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc all received $2.5 million EACH for taking part in the reunion special.

Why did Jennifer Aniston let herself go on the 9th season of Friends? ›

It's just that during the final season, while Jen was married to Brad Pitt, she had a lot of issues with shooting this sitcom. She said in an interview, “We had a couple issues. That is why I couldn't focus on the making of new episodes.”

Why did Jennifer Aniston walk out of Friends reunion? ›

"I had to walk out at certain points. I don't know how they cut around it." (This story was originally published in 2021.) Jennifer Aniston admitted she had to walk out on filming of the Friends reunion after being reminded of the “hardest time” in her life.

Is Jennifer Aniston still getting paid for Friends? ›

In 2000, the Friends cast signed a contract that allowed them all to get a cut of any royalties from reruns, which is kinda rare, tbh. And since Friends is still on television 19 years later, Jen gets a 2 percent share of the total $1 billion the show earns in streaming and royalties revenue Every. Damn.

Who was the highest paid cast member on Friends? ›

It said that Aniston and Schwimmer were highest paid actors as Rachel and Ross' relationship became the central point of the show.

Do Friends stars still get royalties? ›

The Friends cast makes millions annually just off residuals

each year from broadcast rights to syndicate reruns. Each member of the cast gets 2 percent of that billion bucks, resulting in all six making $20 million annually.

How much do Friends actors make for reruns? ›

Warner Bros. receives $1 billion annually from syndication reruns, of which Friends' cast members receive $20 million, or 2% of the total revenue generated. There have been certain increments in the total amount though in recent years.

Why did Chandler leave Friends in season 9? ›

Summary. Chandler's move to Tulsa was related to Matthew Perry's personal struggles, including addiction and health issues during filming. Matthew Perry's reduced screen time on Friends was due to his personal struggles and prioritizing his health.

Are Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston still Friends? ›

The duo's decades-long friendship began on their iconic sitcom and has stayed strong through the years. They recently enjoyed a girls' night out together in Los Angeles in April. When Aniston turned 55 in February, Cox posted a tribute to her friend on social media. “Happy Birthday my sweet Jenny Louise.

What show did Jennifer Aniston turn down for Friends? ›

She was offered a spot as a featured player on Saturday Night Live but turned this down to accept a starring role on the NBC television sitcom Friends (1994–2004).

Did any of the Friends cast fall out? ›

As some casts of long-running shows fall out long before the cameras stop rolling, the cast of Friends have remained, well, friends after first finding intense fame alongside one another in 1994. And the anticipated Reunion special last year only cemented their closeness, as they got back together to reminisce.

Do the cast of Friends still get along? ›

Though the cast went their separate ways when the sitcom ended in 2004, they remained in each other's lives throughout the years, united by having shared 10 of the most important years of their lives together. Perry reiterated that bond in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.

Why was season 10 of Friends so short? ›

Towards the start of season 10, Jennifer Aniston was getting a lot of movie offers which made it difficult for her to even be a part of the last season. She almost didn't return for it. That's the reason why season 10 had only 18 episodes.

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