Jennifer Aniston Hoped She’d ‘Reconcile’ With Ex Justin Theroux Before His Recent Engagement
It’s official! On August 28, Nicole Brydon Bloom revealed that she was engaged to beau Justin Theroux by showing up to the Venice International Film Festival premiere of his latest flick, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, with a 4-carat emerald-cut diamond on that finger. The custom ring boasts a platinum and yellow gold band that shines as brightly as the couple’s smiles in Italy.
But as Justin, 53, and Nicole, 30, begin a new chapter, Jennifer Aniston saw the door firmly close on her past.
While she and the Leftovers star announced their split in 2018 following just three years of marriage, “the fact that they remained friends gave Jen hope that they could possibly reconcile someday. So it stung to hear that Justin has moved on once and for all and gotten engaged,” a source exclusively tells Life & Style. “A small part of her heart really did think that a reunion with Justin could happen.”
After all, the pair’s initial romance blossomed from a four-year friendship that began in 2007. And Justin and Jen, 55, have continued to talk, text and FaceTime since their breakup, with Justin saying in 2021 that the exes “love each other” and “cherish” their close bond.
“When he and Jen got married, she truly thought he was going to be her forever guy,” shares the source. “They were a good match, and Jen hasn’t had the easiest time letting go of what they once had.”
Justin Theroux and Nicole Brydon Bloom’s Engagement Is Opening Old Wounds
One of the most devastating aspects of Nicole and Justin’s engagement for Jen? Nicole’s age. “Nicole is 23 years younger than Justin,” notes the source, “and they’ll probably start a family. That hurts Jen. She thinks she and Justin would probably still be married today if they’d been able to have a child together themselves.”
The Friends alum has opened up about how in her late 30s and 40s (the time period when she and Justin were an item), she was desperately trying to welcome a baby. “I was going through IVF, drinking Chinese teas, you name it,” she told Allure in 2022 of her infertility struggles. “I was throwing everything at it.”
And it’s clearly still a sore spot: In July, Jen called out vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance for derogatory comments he’d made about childless women. “Mr. Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day,” she pointedly wrote on Instagram.
Justin, the ever-supportive ex, praised Jen for speaking her piece during a September interview he did with The Times. “She is still very dear to me, so, of course, yeah, I feel protective,” the actor said. “But she batted back criticism, as well she should.”
Now Jen is navigating an all-new dynamic with Justin after his engagement to Nicole. “Even though they’re friends, Jen probably won’t be invited to the wedding,” admits the source, adding that the Morning Show leading lady seemingly hasn’t met Nicole yet, despite the Gilded Age actress being linked to Justin since at least February 2023. “Jen likely wouldn’t go to the wedding anyway. It would be too difficult for her to watch her ex remarry.”
