It’s been two decades since Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt’s separation became one of Hollywood’s most sensational tabloid stories. Now, the Friends alum is looking back at the media firestorm, the emotional toll, and the headline-making comment she made at the time about her ex-husband’s relationship with Angelina Jolie.
The Breakup That Defined a Tabloid Era
In January 2005, Aniston announced her split from Pitt after nearly five years of marriage. Soon after, speculation erupted that Pitt had grown close to his Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-star Angelina Jolie during filming. By mid-2005, Pitt and Jolie appeared together in a W magazine spread titled “Domestic Bliss”—depicting themselves as a married couple with children.
At the time, Aniston’s response became one of the most memorable breakup quotes in celebrity history. In a Vanity Fair interview later that year, she said of the shoot:
“There’s a sensitivity chip that’s missing.”
The remark was widely interpreted as a direct dig at Pitt, and it cemented itself as a cultural reference point for years to come.
Looking Back 20 Years Later
In a new Vanity Fair interview published August 11, Aniston admitted she still remembers the period vividly. “It was such juicy reading for people,” she said. “If they didn’t have their soap operas, they had their tabloids.”
While she has moved on from the relationship, she acknowledged the personal pain it caused. “It’s a shame that it had to happen, but it happened. And boy did I take it personally… Just pick yourself up by the bootstraps and keep on walking, girl.”
Reflecting on her original Vanity Fair interview, she said, “I just remember the experience of doing it—which was kind of jarring. It was also such a vulnerable time. But yeah, that was one for the memoirs.”
Life After the Triangle
Aniston says that journalism in the early 2000s felt like “a form of a sport” and that the public’s lack of empathy was one of the hardest parts. “We’re human beings, even though some people don’t want to believe we are. They think, ‘You signed up for it, so you take it.’ But we really didn’t sign up for that.”
Since then, she has moved forward in her personal life, marrying and later divorcing actor Justin Theroux and, more recently, being linked to hypnotist Jim Curtis. As for Pitt, the two have shared friendly public moments in recent years, showing that time can heal even the deepest wounds.