Jennifer Aniston Shares Perfect ‘Friends’ Throwback for Reese Witherspoon’s Birthday

Jennifer Aniston is sending love to Reese Witherspoon as her longtime friend celebrates her 46th birthday. Aniston, 53, took to Instagram to share photos and videos from throughout her years working with Witherspoon, first on Friends, where they played sisters, and now on The Morning Show, where they play co-anchors.

“It’s somebody’s birthday today,” Aniston wrote in the caption alongside a festive emoji. “My little sister [>] co-anchor [>] partner in crime [>] I LOVE YOU, you sweet ray of sunshine. Let the love pour in!” She concluded alongside a cake emoji and hearts, ” Happy BIRTHDAY @reesewitherspoon.” 

It’s been a long road for the two stars, and in 2019, Witherspoon recalled meeting Aniston in an interview for Harper’s Bazaar. “We met on the set of Friends; I played her sister. I was 23 years old and had just had a baby,” Witherspoon said at the time. “I was nursing Ava on set, and Jen just kept going, ‘You have a baby?’ I was like, ‘I know, it’s weird.’ … I remember her being like, ‘Where are you going?’ And I was like, ‘I’m pumping!’”

Witherspoon added that Aniston was “so sweet to me.” She continued, “I was really nervous, and she was like, ‘Oh, my gosh – don’t worry about it!’ I marveled at her ability to perform in front of a live audience like that with no nerves. They would change all the lines and she was just so effortlessly affable, bubbly, and sunny. … We’ve been friends ever since.”

Last year, during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Aniston told Kimmel that it’s difficult to act angry at Witherspoon when their characters fight on The Morning Show. “It’s always fun to fight with Reese because she’s such a sweet burst of sunshine that she’s, you know, not someone you wanna go scream your head off to,” she explained. “And I usually always end up bursting into laughter at some point. It’s just too hard to be that mad with each other. But we do it.”

Witherspoon had plenty of other famous friends wishing her happy birthday as well, including A Wrinkle in Time co-star Mindy Kaling and Big Little Lies co-star Laura Dern. “Forget the startling difference in the relative size of our heads,” Kaling wrote alongside a selfie with her friend. “Instead feast your eyes on the beauty + brains @reesewitherspoon on the right. Happy birthday Reese dawg, you’re the best there is. So lucky to be continually inspired by my friend. Love you forever.” Dern added in her own post, “It’s International I Love Reese Witherspoon Day! Happy birthday to my amazing sister.”