A love triangle somewhat appeared when Pitt and Aniston were four years into their marriage
Before the whole ‘Brangelina’ drama started, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were married and considered the perfect couple in Hollywood.
After being together for seven years, the star of Friends and the lead in Fight Club announced their breakup in January 2005. They had gotten married in July 2000, and their divorce was finalized by the end of March 2005.
In their statement, they said: “We want to share that after seven years together, we have decided to separate. For those who keep up with this kind of news, we want to clarify that our split is not due to any of the rumors from the tabloids.
“This choice comes after a lot of careful thought. We will always be good friends and have a lot of love and respect for each other.”
Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt pictured together in 2001 (Kevin Winter/Getty Images.)
It happened around the same time that Mr. & Mrs. Smith was being filmed, and it hit theaters across the US and other places in June 2005.
In the movie, Brad Pitt played John Smith, while Angelina Jolie took on the role of Jane Smith. According to Courteney Cox, who starred with Jennifer Aniston on Friends, Pitt admitted something important to Aniston during that time.
In a chat with Vanity Fair, Cox mentioned, “I don’t think he actually had a physical affair, but I believe he was drawn to her.”
“There was definitely a spark, and he was upfront about it with Jen. Usually, when people feel attracted to someone else, they keep it to themselves.”
“At least he was truthful about it. It was an attraction he struggled with for a while.”
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt met on the set of Mr and Mrs Smith. (20th Century Fox)
Aniston was said to be having a tough time after the show Friends ended its ten-season run in 2004. Sources mentioned that Pitt, who was busy working on a film with Jolie, “just wasn’t there for her.”
A source told PEOPLE magazine back then: “They slowly forgot who they were as individuals. Even though they had a nice lifestyle and everything they could want, they weren’t happy. They lost their sense of self.”
Later on, Pitt and Jolie started dating not long after the breakup and got married in 2014. However, they filed for divorce just two years later.
Amid the rumor mill, many saw Aniston as the wronged party and pitted her against Jolie.
Jennifer Aniston’s split from Brad Pitt was tabloid fodder for years (ABC)
When news about Pitt and Jolie’s relationship started to spread, Aniston usually kept quiet about the tabloid gossip.
But in 2015, a decade after her divorce, she finally talked about the so-called ‘rivalry’ that the media had created between her and Jolie.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Aniston expressed her thoughts, saying, “I believe it’s time for people to stop with that childish nonsense and start appreciating great work instead of all this silly drama.
“I really think that’s starting to fade away. It’s just exhausting and outdated. It’s like an old, worn-out shoe. Let’s get a new pair of shiny ones.”
Featured Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images