It has been nearly three months since Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux announced they were splitting up, with many still wondering what might have led their marriage to fail.
Aniston and Theroux first met in 2011, presumably when they worked together on the film Wanderlust, which also starred Paul Rudd and Malin Åkerman.
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The couple moved in together and became engaged in 2012, then eventually married in 2015.
In a Feb. 15 message to the public, the couple said their split “was mutual and lovingly made at the end of last year.”
“Normally we would do this privately, but given that the gossip industry cannot resist an opportunity to speculate and invent, we wanted to convey the truth directly,” the statement continued.
“Whatever else is printed about us that is not directly from us, is someone else’s fictional narrative,” the statement added. “Above all, we are determined to maintain the deep respect and love that we have for one another.”
Finally, the couple added that they “look forward to continuing our cherished friendship.”
The Richest has put together a list of reasons why the couple may have gone their separate ways, and we have adapted that list below.
Scroll down to read about why Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux’s marriage may have failed.
Not Enough In Common
The couple did not have much in common, a source said: “Jennifer and Justin fell in love hard and fast and yet they were never really suited to one another. He was a New York hipster that loved the alternative lifestyle and Jennifer was living a much more reclusive life when they first started to fall in love.
“The initial chemistry between them made it easy for them to ignore their differences and incompatibility. … He’s more nomadic, more of a free spirit, he’s rugged and urban and Jennifer just isn’t that kind of person.”
Busy Schedules
Being that they are both A-list stars, their busy work schedules may have played a part in their separation.
“For years, even before they married, they compromised and did their own thing,” a source reportedly said. “It has involved long separations, especially for their work demands.”
“Jen’s proud of Justin’s work but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t looking forward to the end of his HBO series, The Leftovers, which has relocated to Australia for its third season,” a separate source previously said.
That insider also claimed that “after Justin told her bosses were leaving a door open should HBO want another series, Jen flipped out … It would have been better if he could have gotten a serious movie career off the ground as that only involves him being away for six weeks instead of six months.”
East Coast / West Coast
Another factor that reportedly worked against them was their affinity for living on opposite ends of the U.S.
“Jennifer loves her life in Los Angeles, and if anything, she has grown more attached to being there,” a source said. “Justin is not that comfortable or happy in Los Angeles all the time. He loves New York and always has.”
“Jen tried the whole living in New York City thing with Justin, but at heart, she is a California girl. New York City just wasn’t ever going to be home for Jen … [Theroux] spent most of his time [with friends in New York],” another source claimed. “Encouraging Justin to spend as much time as he wanted in New York City is what doomed the marriage. Jen thought by doing so, spending time without her would make Justin miss her more.”
Motherhood?
Aniston has has some strong, public opinions on motherhood and pregnancy, which could have come between her and Theroux.
In 2016, Aniston wrote an op-ed for The Huffington Post, writing, “For the record, I am not pregnant. What I am is fed up … I may become a mother someday … But I’m not in pursuit of motherhood because I feel incomplete in some way … I resent being made to feel ‘less than’ because my body is changing and/or I had a burger for lunch and was photographed from a weird angle and therefore deemed one of two things: ‘pregnant’ or ‘fat.’ Not to mention the painful awkwardness that comes with being congratulated by friends, coworkers and strangers alike on one’s fictional pregnancy (often a dozen times in a single day).”
Later, in a 2017 interview, she followed up her comments, saying, “I think the problem is the tabloids and the gossip columns taking the human body and putting it in a category. They’re either fat-shaming, or body-shaming, or childless-shaming … I have worked too hard in this life and this career to be whittled down to a sad, childless human … I couldn’t hear this narrative anymore about being pregnant or not pregnant; you have no idea what is going on personally in our lives and why that is or is not happening.”
Brad Pitt
Aniston was famously married to Brad Pitt in the early 2000s, and then the two went through a very public divorce a few years later.
Pitt recently became single again, as he is currently going through a divorce with Angelina Jolie, and some have speculated that Aniston may be interested in getting back together with him.
“Brad’s conversations with Jen have helped him negotiate his new life as he’s getting divorced. He feels a deep connection with her … Brad would take a second chance at love with Jen in a heartbeat,” an insider has claimed.
“Jen made a tearful, late-night call to Brad one night recently and explained how Justin went off to the East Coast three months ago, and she felt he was never coming back,” another source said. “She confided in him about all the missteps and problems in the relationship, and Brad provided the calming words that she needed to hear.”
Other Exes
It is also rumored that one of Aniston’s ex-beau’s, Gerard Butler, is still interested in her.
“Jen has been leaning hard on Gerard as her relationship with Justin continues to disintegrate,” an source claimed.
“It’s no coincidence that just as Jen’s marriage is imploding, Gerard made a public display of affection and loyalty toward her … She’s really touched that Gerard is proving he has her back,” the insider added. “Gerard told Jen he’s still carrying a torch for her. He’s made it clear that the timing wasn’t right before, but he’s ready to commit to her now.”
Friends In Low Places
In the wake of the Me Too and Time’s Up movements, it has been reported that Aniston was concerned with the type of friends Theroux keeps.
“Jen is really freaked out by all of the harassment stories around Hollywood and it’s led to a reality check when it comes to Justin and his oddball buddies like Terry Richardson, Danny Masterson, and even Louis C.K.,” a source previously said.
“These are all guys Justin seriously respected, but Jen’s demanding he have no association with them going forward,” the source added. “Justin likes to play up his edgy ‘street cred’ and his cool New York friends, but this is way more controversial than Jen would like, especially when she’s dealing with her big corporate sponsors like Smart Water or production partners like Apple.”
Media Scrutiny
One of the biggest difficulties, it is reported, was how much the media scrutinized their relationship.
It was reportedly a bigger issue for Theroux, as a source reported: “He absolutely hated it at first. He fell in love with Jennifer so it was something he came to accept … Everyone around him knew it wasn’t really who he was.”
“The moment this divorce news was announced it was all about calculating [Aniston’s] next public appearance and timing it in a way that would embarrass Brad and Angie,” another source alleged. “Justin hates this, being dragged around like a pawn in her PR game … It’s a huge source of tension.”
Marriage Counciling
Before finally deciding to divorce, Aniston and Theroux reportedly attempted to work things out in marriage counseling.
“Jen and Justin had been in marriage counseling. In fact, they had been in couples counseling long before they married. They tried to work through issues relating to their very different lifestyles, communication and, of course, the New York City vs. Los Angeles living arrangement,” a source told journalists.
“The counselling has been a huge factor in how Jen is dealing with the breakup. She feels that she truly gave it her best effort. There isn’t anger, but rather a deep sadness from Jen that the marriage is ending. It just came down to the realization that the issues were never going to change,” the source added. “Jen is at peace with it.”
Were They Ever Even Married At All?
Interestingly, there is speculation that Aniston and Theroux were never married at all.
Reportedly, no official marriage records exist for the couple, despite investigations from multiple news outlets.
The rumors they were never even legally married are only bolstered by the reports that Theroux was once quoted as saying marriage is “just a piece of paper.”
Many feel that this has been why the couple found it so easy, logistically at least, to part.
