Relationships

Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox celebrate 25 years of friendship

The pals are closer than ever - and their friendship has inspired a (post-Covid-19) Friends reunion!
Jen Aniston and Courteney Cox

When they were fresh-faced 20-somethings, they burst into TV fame like firecrackers, to the tune of I’ll Be There for You.

Twenty-five years later, with the much longed-for Friends reunion finally confirmed, Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston have proven they’re still the best of pals.

And it’s their infallible friendship that prompted the rest of the sitcom’s cast – David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, Matt Le Blanc and Lisa Kudrow – to agree to unite for a special TV event, after Jen and Courteney brought their old Friends together to get the conversation started.

It’s rumoured that Ellen DeGeneres will host the historic reunion.

“It’s happening,” each of the cast confirmed on their Instagram accounts as they announced the special, which sources say was agreed upon during an intimate dinner at Jen’s house in October last year, during which the Marley and Me star posted a cute picture of the six friends together to announce her arrival on the popular social media platform.

Though the rest of the cast don’t see much of each other, Jen and Courteney’s closeness was the foundation on which the get-together was formed.

The pair have been firmly by each other’s sides since the show debuted in 1994, and have been through it all together – weddings, divorces, dalliances and career ups and downs.

They especially turned to each other when their respective marriages ended – Jen’s to Brad Pitt and then Justin Theroux, and Courteney’s to David Arquette.

“We just have fun, we laugh, we’re inseparable and that’s great,” says Courteney (55).

“It’s funny, a lot of really close friends are kind of going through this right now or like Jennifer, [who] has gone through it. I don’t know what’s going on in the planets or what, but things are being shaken up and I don’t know what’s going to happen, but yeah, Jennifer has been amazing for sure.”

The sentiment is echoed by Jen (51), who endured an especially painful break-up when her marriage to Brad ended in 2005.

“I’ve slept in her guest bedroom a lot,” she says of Courtney.

“Without giving away too much of my private stuff, all I can say is that she’s been there for me through thick and thin. There’s absolutely no judgement in Court. You’ll never feel scolded. She’s extremely fair, ridiculously loyal and fiercely loving.”

Jen is even godmother to Courteney’s daughter Coco, and gushed over the 15-year-old on social media last week, imploring her to stop growing up so fast.

“Or am I protecting? I love you deep,” she wrote.

While Jen is revelling in single life after her split from actor Justin (48), Courteney is planning her wedding to Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid, with whom she’s been since 2013.

It hasn’t always been an easy relationship. They temporarily called off their engagement in 2015 and split for six months.

Even now, Johnny (43) is based in London, while Courteney lives with Coco in Malibu.

“Isn’t that strange?” she says.

“We broke off our engagement and he moved to England, then we got back together, and it’s actually better than it was before. Everything is better. Not because he’s in London, although the distance after that break-up… that really showed us a lot, and it’s just better. He’s incredible. I mean, it’s an expensive relationship – we go back and forth a lot.”

Meanwhile, Jen says she’s more than happy to be partner-free, and credits her positive attitude and gratitude for getting her through.

“I think [staying buoyant and encouraged] comes from growing up in a household that was destabilised and felt unsafe, watching adults be unkind to each other, and witnessing certain things about human behaviour that made me think, ‘I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to be that. I don’t want to experience this feeling that I’m having in my body right now.’

“So I guess I have my parents to thank! You can either be angry or be a martyr, or you can say, ‘You’ve got lemons? Let’s make lemonade.'”

Jen chooses happiness, and uses meditation, exercise and a good glass of wine now and then to stay on an even keel.

“I try and write down a gratitude list every morning as well. It always gives you a thankful shift. I’m just grateful for all of it.

“You find yourself interacting in the world much easier and better and in a calmer way.”

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