Jennifer Aniston is finally setting the record straight about her personal journey to motherhood. The beloved Friends star recently appeared on the Armchair Expert podcast, where she candidly discussed why adoption was never an option for her, despite decades of fertility struggles.
During the conversation with hosts Dax Shepard and Monica Padman, the 56-year-old actress didn’t hold back. When the topic turned to parenthood and fertility, Aniston made her feelings crystal clear. “When people say, ‘But you can adopt,’ I don’t want to adopt,” she explained. “I want my own DNA in a little person. That’s the only way, selfish or not, whatever that is, I’ve wanted it.”
The revelation comes after years of media speculation about why Jennifer Aniston never had children. Many assumed she prioritized her career over family, but the truth turned out to be far more complicated. The actress spent two decades trying to conceive, undergoing IVF treatments and exploring every possible avenue. Meanwhile, tabloids painted a narrative that she was simply too focused on work.
Still, Aniston has found peace with how things turned out. “It’s so peaceful,” she told Padman when asked if she’d come to terms with not becoming a mother. “But I will say there’s a point where it’s, like, out of my control. There’s literally nothing I can do about it.”
The actress acknowledged that she occasionally meets someone and thinks they “would have made some good kids,” but those feelings pass quickly. Looking back, she recognizes that parenthood simply wasn’t meant to be part of her story. “It just wasn’t in the plan, whatever the plan was,” she said. “It’s very emotional, especially in the moment when they say ‘that’s it,’ because there is a weird moment when that happens.”
In a separate interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK, Aniston addressed the years of hurtful speculation. “They didn’t know my story, or what I’d been going through over the past 20 years to try to pursue a family, because I don’t go out there and tell them my medical woes,” she shared. “That’s not anybody’s business.”
Her openness about fertility struggles has resonated with many women who’ve faced similar challenges. By sharing her truth, Jennifer Aniston is helping to break down the stigma around infertility while reminding everyone that there’s no single path to fulfillment.