Jennifer Aniston on speculation about not having kids: 'You have no clue what's going on'
The actor doesn't pay attention to tabloids these days, but they certainly affected her in the past.
Like many women who've never had children, Jennifer Aniston has been the subject of intense speculation over the years. She just happened to deal with it in the public eye.
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 52-year-old reflects on the tabloid scrutiny she's faced as a woman who hasn't had kids and said she's finally in a place where things have slowed down and she doesn't care as much.
"I used to take it all very personally — the pregnancy rumors and the whole 'Oh, she chose career over kids' assumption. It’s like, 'You have no clue what’s going with me personally, medically, why I can’t … can I have kids?' They don’t know anything, and it was really hurtful and just nasty," she said.
Aniston said she hasn't seen a tabloid in a long time, but couldn't help but laugh while wondering what they are saying about her now that she's a bit older.
"Am I still having twins? Am I going to be the miracle mother at 52?" she said.
When Aniston's interviewer brought up how the actor had previously talked about Gloria Steinem and how she once said it can feel like "your value as a woman is tied to your marital status and whether or not you’ve procreated," the actor repeated Steinem's famous words.
She said, “I guess we’re in deep s---,” she recalled. "It’s the same with Dolly Parton; Dolly Parton never had kids. But are people giving her sh-- for it? No, no one’s tried to put her in a white picket fence."
The 52-year-old then discussed how marriage and parenthood can be a bit of a double standard for men and women.
"Men can be married as many times as they want to, they can marry (younger) women in their 20s or 30s. Women aren’t allowed to do that," she said.
The actor has developed a pretty thick skin over time but she rose to fame during a time where social media wasn't a thing and she said that's changed the game entirely for young stars today.
"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. So it’s just sort of changed hands in a way. And I don’t know why there’s such a cruel streak in society. I often wonder what they get off on," she said.
