When you look at Jennifer Aniston’s achievements, it’s easy to assume she had a wonderful childhood that set her up for a great life.
The 54-year-old has a lot going for her, like beauty, talent, and good genes – her dad is John Aniston, who is famous for playing the mobster Victor Kiriakis in Days of Our Lives. But her early life wasn’t as easy as it seems.
Thinking back on her life, the Morning Show star talked about how she overcame tough times from her past, including a hard relationship with her late mother.
Talking about the need to let go of “toxic” anger, Aniston expressed gratitude towards her once distant mother, saying, “thank you for showing me what never to be.”
As Aniston grew up, her mother’s comments about her looks became more noticeable. Remembering those days, she said, “She was from this world of, ‘Honey, take better care of yourself,’ or ‘Honey, put your face on,’ or all of those strange phrases that I can recall from my childhood.”
Jennifer Aniston was born on February 11, 1969, to parents John Aniston and Nancy Dow, who were married from 1965 until 1980.
John, who passed away at 89 in 2022, was most famous for his role on Days of Our Lives, which he played on and off for 37 years until he died. Her mother, who died at 79 in 2016, was an actress with a few small roles in TV shows like The Beverly Hillbillies and The Wild Wild West.
When Aniston’s parents split up when she was nine, the Cake star said “it really messed up” her mom. But, Aniston “was excited to leave” the old family home in New York City that “was not a fun place to live in.”
In a 2020 chat with her friend Sandra Bullock for Interview Magazine, Aniston talked about how growing up in a home that felt unstable and unsafe helped her handle tough times in life.
“Seeing adults being mean to each other and noticing certain things about how people act made me think: ‘I don’t want to be like that. I don’t want to feel this way in my body right now. I don’t want anyone I meet to feel that way either.’”
The Just Go With It star added: “I guess I owe my parents some credit… You can either be mad or act like a victim, or you can say, ‘You have lemons? Let’s make lemonade.’”
It was tough outside of her family too. “I was one of those kids who got bullied, and I don’t really know why,” Aniston mentioned.
“I was one of the kids that others chose to tease. It was a weird time in fifth, sixth, and seventh grades. I was a bit chubby, so I was just that kid.”
Often, it felt like her mom was throwing lemons at her.
“I’ve had to work on myself for a long time, fixing parts of me that hadn’t healed since I was little,” Aniston revealed.
“She had a temper. I can’t handle that. If I get upset, I talk about it. I will never scream and act hysterical like that.” Aniston, who didn’t realize how beautiful she was.
“She was very critical. She was really hard on me. Since she was a model, she was stunning. I wasn’t. I never was. I honestly still don’t see myself that way, which is okay. She was also very unforgiving. She would hold onto grudges that I thought were so silly.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, the Horrible Bosses star shares that she never met Dow’s expectations, and there were times when they didn’t talk for years.
Aniston shares, “I didn’t turn out to be the perfect child she wanted, and that really hit home for me, this little girl just wanting to be noticed and loved by a mom who was too busy with things that didn’t really matter.”
Aniston stopped talking to Dow after her mom published the 1999 tell-all book, “From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir.” The actress was said to be really angry that her mother had invaded her privacy.
Actually, Aniston was so hurt that she didn’t invite her mom to her wedding to Brad Pitt in 2000, but they did make up after the couple split up.
However, she reportedly hadn’t seen her mom for several years before Dow passed away, who had previously suffered a couple of strokes.
On the other hand, her relationship with her dad was quite different.
“He thought I was heading towards total destruction and sadness,” she said about following his footsteps in acting. “Then I ended up having a whole new relationship with him once he had something to discuss with me. Which was, ‘Oh, you’re an actor. I’m an actor.’”
Aniston is much more than just an actress.
As one of the highest-paid actors in the business, Aniston, who has a Primetime Emmy and a Golden Globe, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, has been named several times as one of the most beautiful women in the world, and runs LolaVie, a haircare brand. She’s also the founder of Echo Films, a production company with movies she stars in, like The Switch, Dumplin’, and Murder Mystery 2.
In June 2022, just before he passed away, John was honored with a Daytime Emmy lifetime achievement award. His daughter presented it in a pre-recorded segment, where she praised him for his long and successful acting career.
When he died, the comic shared a touching photo of him holding her as a baby, along with a heartfelt message on Instagram. The Friends star wrote, “Sweet papa…John Anthony Aniston, You were one of the most beautiful humans I ever knew. I am so grateful that you went soaring into the heavens in peace – and without pain…I’ll love you till the end of time. Don’t forget to visit.”
She also made amends with her mother before her passing.
“I forgave my mom. I forgave my father. I’ve forgiven my family,” she mentioned, adding that it’s important to honor all moments, both good and bad.
“It’s important…It’s toxic to hold onto that resentment and anger. I learned that by watching my mom never let go of it. I remember saying, ‘Thank you for showing me what never to be.’ So that’s what I mean about taking the darker things that happen in our lives, the not-so-happy moments, and trying to find ways to honor them because of what they have given to us,” she explained.
Jennifer Aniston is such a humble and impressive talent! It’s always fascinating to learn about a star’s background and see them as regular people. Still, it’s sad to hear that Aniston had a tough relationship with her mother, and we hope she’s found some peace.
