Six years ago—on October 15, 2019, to be exact—Instagram crashed. Was it a glitch? A cyberattack? Turns out, it was neither. The seismic quake hit at 6:03 A.M. PT when Jennifer Aniston joined the app, announcing her arrival by posting a selfie with her Friends castmates. She set a Guinness World Record for becoming the fastest account to reach 1 million followers. (Five hours and 16 minutes.) “And now we’re Instagram FRIENDS too. HI INSTAGRAM,” she captioned the photo, referencing the beloved sitcom that made her a household name.
Few people on earth are capable of having such an impact. But that’s Aniston—someone who has won hearts by wearing hers on her sleeve. After charming us as Rachel Green, the quintessential “girl next door,” for a decade, she went on to lead big-screen comedies, from cult favorites (Office Space, The Good Girl) to box office hits (Bruce Almighty, The Break-Up), earning a coveted spot as one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actresses. She defied expectations with standout performances in indie films like Cake and Dumplin’, then, in 2019, made a triumphant return to television in Apple TV’s The Morning Show, reuniting with Reese Witherspoon, who played Rachel’s sister in two very memorable Friends episodes.
And let’s not forget, she gave the world one of the most iconic haircuts of all time, affectionately dubbed “The Rachel,” which went on to define ’90s style. “It had a beautiful six months that’s lasted 30 years,” Aniston jokes. She turned the frenzy into an opportunity: Aware of everyone’s fascination with her mane, in 2021, she launched LolaVie, a hair care line made with plant-based ingredients. In fact, it was that venture that led her to Instagram in the first place. Well, that and “endless amounts of peer pressure,” she says, laughing.
So what could possibly be next for Aniston, a woman who seems to have already achieved every goal she’s set for herself? She’s developing a new version of the 1983 classic The Big Chill with her longtime producing partner and longtime friend Kristin Hahn; set to star in a new Apple TV series inspired by Jennette McCurdy’s memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died; and in talks with frequent collaborator and unofficial onscreen husband Adam Sandler about what a Murder Mystery 3 could look like. “My main mission now is doing projects that really inspire me and get me excited,” she says. “The goal is quality, not quantity, and time spent with people you really, really care about and want to work with. And I happen to be very lucky that my friends are very talented.”
Among them is Jimmy Kimmel, whose late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! was briefly suspended from the air under pressure from President Donald Trump’s appointee, Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. “Unthinkable things are happening,” Aniston says. “It’s very dangerous and very unfortunate. But at the end of the day, we’re the viewers. We subscribe to these networks and streaming services, so it really comes down to the people and their voices. All those subscription cancellations spoke volumes.” There’s also her hypnotist boyfriend, Jim Curtis, a transformational coach, who has recently captured the internet’s curiosity. (“Hypnotism is one of the many things that he does,” Aniston explains. “He’s quite extraordinary, and helps many, many people. He’s very special, very normal, and very kind, and wants to help people heal, move through their trauma and stagnation into clarity. It’s a beautiful thing to commit your life to.”)
Reflecting on her own career, Aniston—an industry leader, a trendsetter, and above all, a true friend—says there’s nothing she wishes she had done differently. “I don’t regret,” she says—period. It’s a testament to a life lived fully and entirely on her own terms.
Shirt, Ralph Lauren. Vintage American turquoise bracelets, buckle, vintage necklaces, Vicki Turbeville.
On how she got into comedy
When I was 17 or 18, I was doing a Chekhov play at [Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and] Performing Arts and the audience was laughing. My acting teacher said to me, “I think you should explore comedy because you’re funny.” And I remember at first being quite offended, like, “Well, I’m not funny, I’m an actress.” As though the two didn’t coexist. At the time, I was focused on being a “serious” actor. Because I would watch comedies and think, Oh, that’s funny, that looks easy. It didn’t seem like hard work. But it is hard! It’s not easy.
On a piece of advice that stuck with her
Shirley MacLaine always said, “Stand your ground. Don’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable—if it speaks to your heart and it speaks to your soul, follow that. If that first instinct you have is anything other than an immediate ‘yes,’ listen to it.”
On the projects that taught her the most
The Good Girl and Cake. Those projects just remind me that I’m capable of more than what the industry saw me as, and typecast me as, so I was grateful for those jobs because enough times you’re not invited to those kinds of tables, you start to think, Oh, maybe they think I can’t do it. Maybe I can’t. But then those jobs come along and it’s just nice to remind yourself, challenge yourself, and also show yourself that you’re capable of more than a good tagline.
Top, briefs, Miu Miu.
On the character who’s most like her
I would probably say Rachel, except my family had no money growing up, and she did. I want to be like Alex [Levy, her character on The Morning Show]. I love her! Not that I want to be a mean, badass bitch, but there’s something about it. It’s fun to yell and tell someone off.
On the highs and lows of being a woman in Hollywood
The best part about being a woman in Hollywood is that I’m a working woman in Hollywood, and that I get to continue doing what I love. I’ve worked really hard and I love what I do. And also that we get to create projects that are making a difference and bring in female voices—that’s a really wonderful thing that we get to do now that we’re allowed a seat at the table. Which, bringing up the lows: There was a period where we were not allowed at that table. It was thought, How adorable that you think you could be a producer or run a production company. It was a very male-dominated industry, and we still have a long way to go, but women in Hollywood make moves. We get shit done.
On losing Matthew Perry
It was so alarming and shocking, yet not shocking. [The Friends cast and I] always said, “I hope I never get that phone call.” We miss him. He’s missed. He was a brilliant human being and an extraordinary talent, loved deeply, and wanted happiness more than anything. It makes me sad that he never really achieved that, because he deserved it.
Dress, Givenchy by Sarah Burton. Heels, Gianvito Rossi.
On her favorite talk show
I love Good Morning America—I love Robin Roberts, and back in the day, I also loved Diane Sawyer. In 2018, they let me and my producing partners come in while we were doing prep for The Morning Show—we walked through the halls and woke up at the crack of dawn, and saw what happens when [everyone is] working while the world’s asleep, being busy bees collecting the information and writing the stories. And it’s utter chaos, and then all of a sudden: five, four, three, two, one…magic happens. I have such respect. They love what they do so much, especially the long haulers who’ve stayed and been doing it for 20 years—to give up your personal life for your job.
On exploring the rise of conservative male podcasters in this season of The Morning Show
It’s like kale or quinoa. It’s the new thing: the manoverse. Someone said to me recently, “The good news is anybody can do a podcast, and the bad news is anybody can do a podcast.” We all need to listen to both sides. That’s what we’ve lost. We’ve lost communication, we’ve lost sitting across a table and having a discussion that is productive, learning from each other. It feels like everyone is sort of stuck in their positions and it’s my way or the highway, and that’s just not how the world works.
Lead image: Dress, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. Mules, Giuseppe Zanotti.
Hair by Chris McMillan for Chris McMillan hair; makeup by George Eisdell at The Wall Group; manicure by Stephanie Stone at Forward Artists; produced by Crawford & Co Productions; photographed on location at the Chateau Marmont.
A version of this story appears in the December 2025/January 2026 issue of ELLE.
This story is part of ELLE’s 2025 Women in Hollywood portfolio. Click the link below for all the cover stories.
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