Jennifer Aniston has “some PTSD” from the media frenzy that surrounded her “vulnerable” and high-profile divorce from Brad Pitt.
The actress — who gave her first post-split interview to Vanity Fair in 2005 after Pitt left her for Angelina Jolie — admitted she hasn’t looked back at the article in a very long time.
“I just remember the experience of doing it — which was kind of jarring,” she told the outlet in a new interview published Monday. “It was also such a vulnerable time. But yeah, that was one for the memoirs.”
“Journalism back then felt more like a form of a sport,” Aniston continued. “There’s obviously some PTSD we all have, which is why [interviews] scare me.”
The “Morning Show” star recalled the time in her life, which she dubbed “the love triangle,” when the media “made a meal” out of her, Pitt and Jolie.
She shared that her “survival approach” during the scandal was “just pick yourself up by the bootstraps and keep on walking, girl.”
“It was such juicy reading for people. If they didn’t have their soap operas, they had their tabloids,” she said of the spectacle surrounding her divorce. “It’s a shame that it had to happen, but it happened. And boy did I take it personally.”
The “Friends” alum admitted that she “didn’t have a strong enough constitution” to ignore all the speculation about her relationship at the time.
“We’re human beings, even though some people don’t want to believe we are,” she said. “They think, ‘You signed up for it, so you take it.’ But we really didn’t sign up for that.”
Pitt, 61, and Aniston, 56, met in 1998 after being set up on a blind date by their agents. They got engaged a year later before tying the knot in 2000.
The Oscar-winning actor began filming “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” with Jolie, 50, in 2004. Rumors of an affair between the two began swirling when they quickly developed a close bond on set.
In January 2005, the married couple announced their split in a joint statement that read, “This decision is the result of much thoughtful consideration. We happily remain committed and caring friends with great love and admiration for one another.”
The public’s speculation of infidelity on Pitt’s end only ramped up when he was spotted vacationing in Kenya with Jolie and her son Maddox just three months after announcing the separation.
The “Fight Club” actor went on to marry Jolie in August 2014 and the pair raised six children together before their messy 2016 breakup.
Aniston, for her part, moved on with Justin Theroux. The stars first met in 2007 and began dating in 2011 after they reconnected while filming “Wanderlust.” The couple wed in 2015 and amicably split three years later.
The “Murder Mystery” star has remained friendly with Pitt despite the scandal and their very public split.
The actor attended her 50th birthday party in 2019 and the two virtually reunited in 2020 for a “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” table read.
The exes also made headlines when they hugged backstage at the 2020 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
In July, the “F1” actor reportedly expressed his happiness for Aniston amid her blossoming relationship with Jim Curtis.
“Brad couldn’t be more pleased that Jen has found love with this guy who seems so tuned into her,” a close friend of Pitt told the Daily Mail last month.
“His marriage ended — with a bang and a whimper — two decades ago, but he never lost his affection for her,” the insider said.
“When you find the right partner, all’s right with the world,” the source continued. “He hopes the same is true about Jen.”
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