Strange Reunion
Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux finally take what should be a romantic vacation, but they can’t seem to bear to be alone together
After months apart, Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux bring buddies on their romantic vacay.
Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux were thousands of miles apart for much of 2017. He shot a movie in Budapest, Hungary. Another in Montreal. A Netflix series in NYC. She, meanwhile, filmed a movie in Atlanta, then returned to her Bel Air home to start pre-production on yet another project. Just twoand-a-half years into their marriage, Jen and Justin are, an insider says, “leading separate lives.”
After spending nearly three months apart, they finally reunited over the holidays, heading to Mexico for a sun-drenched New Year’s vacation. But instead of going alone to reconnect and focus on their relationship, they decided to bring a few close pals with them. “They chose to go with friends during this particularly difficult time in their marriage. A week alone would have been too strained,” an insider tells Life & Style. Instead of risking a getaway full of long silences and uncomfortable conversation, “they felt it would be easier and more relaxed to just have some friends come along.”
DISTRACTING THEMSELVES
That’s a sign of a relationship in trouble. But the couple tried to act like nothing was amiss. Bikiniclad Jen, 48, and shirtless Justin, 46, relaxed and partied with a small group including Jason Bateman, 48, and his wife, Amanda Anka, 49, by the pool at a private rental home in Cabo San Lucas, says a source. “They soaked up the sun, exercised, played outdoor games as well as indoor word and trivia games, dined at one of the four- star restaurants in the area and barbecued under the stars.”
It’s not the first time they’ve shunned romantic one- on- one time for a trip with pals: Jason and Amanda — along with several other pals, including Chelsea Handler and Courteney Cox — went with Jen and Justin on what the insider dubs “their dysfunctional group honeymoon” to Bora Bora in 2015. “What kind of couple brings along a bunch of pals on their honeymoon?” asks the insider. “Two people who don’t want to spend time alone together!”
Though their careers often keep Jen and Justin apart, they can’t blame everything on work. Justin prefers spending free time in NYC, while Jen stays in LA. “And besides living on opposite coasts,” notes the insider, “they have vastly different lifestyles, have waffled over starting a family together, have very little in common and she’s resentful of his close friendships with other women.”
Jen and Justin publicly claim to have worked out a rhythm in their relationship where they can happily be married without being together all the time. “The truth,” says the insider, “is that the marriage has been crumbling.” Friends are wondering if this odd vacation marks the beginning of the end. “It’s now make-or-break time,” the insider says, “for them and their marriage.”