Rumors About Jennifer Aniston That Are Hard To Ignore

Jennifer Aniston has hardly seen a life outside of the limelight throughout her career, and she has the credits to prove it. Being such a public figure certainly has its peaks and troughs, and though the actor has stood atop the mountain multiple times with her accolades and praise, some of the pitfalls come with outside intrusion into her personal life. Luckily, as an industry vet, she's no stranger to rumors and speculation; Aniston has been around long enough to transition from seeing her name in tabloids to squashing internet discourse.

That being said, she's still human, and false accusations can be damaging to the psyche. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in December 2021, the "Friends" alum spoke on the sometimes dangerous, ever-evolving nature of media. "It's almost like the media handed over the sword to any Joe Schmo sitting behind a computer screen to be a troll or whatever they call them and bully people in comment sections." She went on to express how even with her status, the gossip can be suffocating. " ... I don't know why there's such a cruel streak in society. I often wonder what they get off on."

That being said, there have certainly been some rumors about Aniston that could have very well been true, or fans simply hoping that they are, that are hard to ignore. From those who thought Ross and Rachel were endgame in real life, to ongoing speculation that she's the cause of Michelle Obama and Barack Obama's rumored divorce, let's dive into some of the hearsay that Aniston has been subjected to throughout her career.

After the "Friends" reunion in 2021, we got confirmation on what could have been: a real-life romance between Ross and Rachel. Though the two never officially dated as Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer, their palpable chemistry on-screen had viewers thinking they had to have been something more.

The two went on to marry other people, but the speculation amped up after the coveted reunion special. For starters, the actors finally admitted that they had the hots for each other back in the day during the reunion, per Today. "I had a major crush on Jen. At some point, we were both crushing hard on each other," Schwimmer said, with Aniston responding, "I remember saying one time to David, 'It's going to be such a bummer if the first time you and I actually kiss is going to be on national television.'" Despite their admission of attraction, they both expressed how they weren't single at the same time back then, so their time never came.

Hope was brought back into people's hearts following the special, though, as there were reports online via Closer that the two had been spending quality time together. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight after the special aired, Aniston reflected on the rumor mill starting up again. "That was bizarre. I could not believe that, actually. Like, really? That's my brother," she said. Aniston then admitted that she recognized the sentiment: "But I understand it, though. It just shows you how hopeful people are for fantasies, for dreams to come true."

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were the it-couple of the early 2000s, but their messy divorce in 2005 quickly resulted in the world pitting them against each other. One of those who accused Aniston of rumored infidelity came from within her close circle.

Aniston and Pitt started dating in 1998 and tied the knot in 2000, both years in which she was still working on "Friends," as the show saw its close in 2004. In a bombshell tabloid for Star Magazine back in 2015, Matt LeBlanc's father, Paul, revealed that there was, in fact, a romance on set behind the scenes, but not from who you'd expect. "They [Jennifer and Matt] would make out in the dressing rooms ... it was when she was married to Brad Pitt," he said (via Woman's Day). The world took the idea of a sexy scandal and ran.

However, Paul spoke out after years of having no contact with his son, and it's possible ulterior motives were at play. One of Aniston's representatives wrote to Woman's Day, "It is absolutely 100 [percent] false. Jennifer has never had a romantic or sexual relationship with Matt LeBlanc." Aniston and Pitt's divorce also resulted in people assuming he had been cheating on her with Angelina Jolie while filming "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." Aniston set the record straight on her past relationship with Pitt to The Hollywood Reporter in January 2015. "But we wish nothing but wonderful things for each other. Nobody did anything wrong," she remarked, continuing, "If the world only could just stop with the stupid soap opera b*******. There's no story. ... please, give more credit to these human beings."

Perhaps the most damaging false news regarding Jennifer Aniston have been reports over the years that she's been pregnant and the backlash she has received for not having children. Aniston has discussed her distaste for the comments and opened up about the fact that she's faced fertility issues.

While she was married to Brad Pitt, she was subjected to scrutiny when people speculated that their divorce was due to her opposition to having children. "​​I used to take it all very personally — the pregnancy rumors and the whole 'Oh, she chose career over kids' assumption. ... They don't know anything, and it was really hurtful and just nasty," she said to The Hollywood Reporter in December 2021. Aniston subsequently continued to mention how the narrative has been continuously pushed onto her well into her 50s: "Am I still having twins? Am I going to be the miracle mother at 52?"

During a candid interview with Allure, the actor revealed how harmful hearsay can truly be. "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," she said of the time in her life when she was trying to get pregnant with her (now ex) husband Justin Theroux. Later on in the interview, Aniston expressed how her story belongs to her, not news sites. "I've spent so many years protecting my story about IVF. 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."

If you've seen any of Jennifer Aniston's films, chances are you've seen Jason Bateman cross paths with her a time or two. The actors have worked on a myriad of films together; from "Horrible Bosses," to "The Switch," and they're just as close in real life as they are on screen. It is so close that Aniston joined Bateman and his wife, Amanda Anka, on a beach getaway in July 2022. Aniston shared a post to Instagram of the three beach bums enjoying their vacation in August 2022 and paired it with the caption, "Take us back." However, as the rumor mill in Tinsel Town goes, some have wondered if Aniston and Bateman's relationship would ever be more.

On a Reddit thread dreaming up nonexistent celebrity couples that seem like a good match, Bateman and Aniston were mentioned. One user replied and agreed, "Honestly I've always thought Jen and Jason would be really good together!" However, Bateman has been married to Anka since 2001 and Aniston ventured into marriages of her own with Brad Pitt and Justin Theroux. Most news outlets have also reported the "Office Christmas Party" co-stars as being close friends, despite rumors of otherwise.

While Bateman and Aniston haven't addressed the whispers directly, how they speak about each other proves that they view each other as family, nothing more. When Bateman was granted his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in July 2017, Aniston gave a speech showing her unbridled support, while seamlessly putting him in the friend zone: "But the part that I'm really the luckiest, that I get to witness as his friend, is Jason Bateman the husband, the fantastic father, the dear friend and as we lovingly call him: Grandpa."

Perhaps the wildest rumor regarding Jennifer Aniston is that she was having an affair with Barack Obama and was the reason for his and Michelle Obama's speculated divorce (spoiler alert: it's not true). Per Vanity Fair, In Touch Weekly ran a now-deleted story in August 2024 titled "The Truth About Jen and Barack!" which claimed that the two were together, leaving Michelle in the lurch. Aniston's team shut down the chatter. 

Aniston herself later appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in October 2024 and confessed, "Of all the calls you get from your publicist where you're just like, 'Oh no, what's it gonna be?' Or the emails saying some cheesy tabloid is gonna make up a story and then it's that." Aniston joked, continuing in the same tone, "I was not mad at it." She then proceeded to set the record straight, "That is absolutely untrue. ... I've met him once. I know Michelle more than him."

However, Michelle's absence at Jimmy Carter's funeral and Donald Trump's inauguration, both held in January 2025, caused many people's minds to wander. Then influencer Melanie King leaked a blind item in late January 2025 on X (formerly Twitter), seemingly confirming the affair. "BREAKING: A LEAKED DM from Jennifer Aniston's friend CONFIRMS that she is dating Barack Obama and Divorcing Michelle has gone viral," she wrote, expressing that figures in both Hollywood and Washington, D.C., were aware of the rumored affair. Barack came back with the counter this time, as he posted a sweet selfie with Michelle on Valentine's Day 2025 with the reassuring caption, "Thirty-two years together and you still take my breath away. Happy Valentine's Day, @MichelleObama!"