Jennifer Aniston’s journey from sitcom darling to A-list star and how her love life became a favourite for gossip hounds to publicly dissect is the subject of a new book, Toxic: Women, Fame, and the Tabloid 2000s. It tells the story of nine women who "defied the hell of celebrity" and how they were "devoured by fame".
The Friends star catapulted to a new level of fame when she married actor Brad Pitt in 2000. It wouldn’t be until 2005 when Pitt and Aniston announced their separation after seven years together. Their divorce was finalized that year. Unlike Pitt, Aniston has been scrutinized by the press, Ditum argued. She pointed out that, over the years, the 54-year-old has been unfairly questioned about motherhood and was even the subject of "bump watch."
In 2022, Aniston admitted to Allure that while she was the subject of painful speculation over the years, she struggled to get pregnant. "I was going through IVF, drinking Chinese teas, you name it. I was throwing everything at it," Aniston told the outlet. "The narrative was that I was just selfish," she shared. "God forbid a woman is successful and doesn't have a child. And the reason my husband left me, why we broke up and ended our marriage, was because I wouldn't give him a kid. It was absolute lies."