Jen & Justin: THE BREAKUP TURNS NASTY
Despite claiming their split was amicable, behind the scenes Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux are far from friendly
Jennifer Aniston looked like she was about to cry. Sneaking out of her first public appearance since announcing her split from Justin Theroux — the LA premiere of good friend Jason Bateman’s new comedy movie Game Night on Feb. 21 — the Friends star wore a grim expression as she marched through the parking lot in towering heels. “Jen couldn’t hide her sadness. She’s devastated and having trouble coping with her heartache,” says a friend. “It’s really hard for her to face the public right now.”
She’s done pretending everything is fine. Even though Jen, 49, and Justin, 46, released a statement on Feb. 15 confirming their breakup, saying they are “two best friends…[who] are determined to maintain the deep respect and love that we have for one another,” sources reveal there are hurt feelings on both sides, and the resentment is only growing as details of their troubled two-and-a-halfyear marriage leak out. “Both sides want their version of the truth out there,” says a source who knows both exes, “so it’s getting nasty.” Adds an insider, “While they’re pretending they are still friends, they are clashing behind the scenes.”
BAD BLOOD It was Jen’s idea to wait to announce their separation until they had privately adjusted to their newly single lives. But Justin didn’t want to play-act in the marriage anymore, and opted to skip friend Ellen Degeneres’ 60th birthday bash and Jen’s 49th birthday weekend. “He just couldn’t go through another charade of pretending to be a doting husband at a round of events in LA,” says
the insider. The fact that Justin, holing up in his NYC apartment, didn’t even bother to post an Instagram tribute on her birthday on Feb. 11 “was another obvious clue that the relationship was over,” says the friend. “So she was forced to make the announcement. Jen feels that Justin humiliated her.”
In the days that followed, various published reports painted Jen as insecure and needy, and Justin as a preening metrosexual. The stories only deepened the mistrust between the once-happy couple, who began a relationship when they connected on the set of the 2012 film Wanderlust. “Justin definitely thinks Jen’s Hollywood friends are leaking stories to the media to make him look like he’s the bad guy,” says the source who knows Jen and Justin. “Meanwhile, Jen and her pals are positive that Justin’s friends are doing the same!”
Members of their inner circle are taking sides. The friend says Courteney Cox, along with Jason and his wife, Amanda Anka, are firmly Team Jen, while Ben Stiller and Paul Rudd are aligning themselves with the Leftovers actor. That’s just another source of tension, and it’s only going to get worse, predicts an insider: “There is just so much animosity between them.” ◼