Six years ago\u2014on October 15, 2019, to be exact\u2014Instagram 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<\/em> castmates. She set a Guinness World Record for becoming the fastest account to reach 1 million followers. (Five hours and 16 minutes.) \u201cAnd now we\u2019re Instagram FRIENDS too. HI INSTAGRAM,\u201d she captioned the photo<\/a>, referencing the beloved sitcom that made her a household name.<\/p>\n Few people on earth are capable of having such an impact. But that\u2019s Aniston\u2014someone who has won hearts by wearing hers on her sleeve. After charming us as Rachel Green, the quintessential \u201cgirl next door,\u201d for a decade, she went on to lead big-screen comedies, from cult favorites (Office Space<\/em>, The Good Girl<\/em>) to box office hits (Bruce Almighty<\/em>, The Break-Up<\/em>), earning a coveted spot as one of Hollywood\u2019s highest-paid actresses. She defied expectations with standout performances in indie films like Cake<\/em> and Dumplin\u2019<\/em>, then, in 2019, made a triumphant return to television in Apple TV\u2019s The Morning Show<\/a><\/em>, reuniting with Reese Witherspoon, who played Rachel\u2019s sister in two very memorable Friends <\/em>episodes.<\/p>\n And let\u2019s not forget, she gave the world one of the most iconic haircuts of all time, affectionately dubbed \u201cThe Rachel,\u201d which went on to define \u201990s style. \u201cIt had a beautiful six months that\u2019s lasted 30 years,\u201d Aniston jokes. She turned the frenzy into an opportunity: Aware of everyone\u2019s 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 \u201cendless amounts of peer pressure,\u201d she says, laughing.<\/p>\n Coat, Miu Miu. Swimsuit, Chanel. Sunglasses, Jacques Marie Mage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n So what could possibly be next for Aniston, a woman who seems to have already achieved every goal she\u2019s set for herself? She\u2019s developing a new version of the 1983 classic The Big Chill<\/em> with her longtime producing partner and longtime friend Kristin Hahn; set to star in a new Apple TV series<\/a> inspired by Jennette McCurdy<\/a>\u2019s memoir I\u2019m Glad My Mom Died<\/a><\/em>; and in talks with frequent collaborator and unofficial onscreen husband Adam Sandler about what a Murder Mystery 3<\/em> could look like. \u201cMy main mission now is doing projects that really inspire me and get me excited,\u201d she says. \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Among them is Jimmy Kimmel, whose late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!<\/em> was briefly suspended from the air under pressure from President Donald Trump\u2019s appointee, Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. \u201cUnthinkable things are happening,\u201d Aniston says. \u201cIt\u2019s very dangerous and very unfortunate. But at the end of the day, we\u2019re 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.\u201d There\u2019s also her hypnotist boyfriend, Jim Curtis<\/a>, a transformational coach, who has recently captured the internet\u2019s curiosity. (\u201cHypnotism is one of the many things that he does,\u201d Aniston explains. \u201cHe\u2019s quite extraordinary, and helps many, many people. He\u2019s very special, very normal, and very kind, and wants to help people heal, move through their trauma and stagnation into clarity. It\u2019s a beautiful thing to commit your life to.\u201d)<\/p>\n Reflecting on her own career, Aniston\u2014an industry leader, a trendsetter, and above all, a true friend\u2014says there\u2019s nothing she wishes she had done differently. \u201cI don\u2019t regret,\u201d she says\u2014period. It\u2019s a testament to a life lived fully and entirely on her own terms.<\/p>\n Shirt, Ralph Lauren. Vintage American turquoise bracelets, buckle, vintage necklaces, Vicki Turbeville.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n 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, \u201cI think you should explore comedy because you\u2019re funny.\u201d And I remember at first being quite offended, like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m not funny, I\u2019m an actress<\/em>.\u201d As though the two didn\u2019t coexist. At the time, I was focused on being a \u201cserious\u201d actor. Because I would watch comedies and think, Oh, that\u2019s funny, that looks easy<\/em>. It didn\u2019t seem like hard work. But it is hard! It\u2019s not easy.<\/p>\n Shirley MacLaine always said, \u201cStand your ground. Don\u2019t do anything that makes you uncomfortable\u2014if 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 \u2018yes,\u2019 listen to it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Good Girl<\/em> and Cake<\/em>. Those projects just remind me that I\u2019m 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\u2019re not invited to those kinds of tables, you start to think, Oh, maybe they think I can\u2019t do it<\/em>. Maybe I can\u2019t<\/em>. But then those jobs come along and it\u2019s just nice to remind yourself, challenge yourself, and also show yourself that you\u2019re capable of more than a good tagline.<\/p>\n Top, briefs, Miu Miu.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n 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<\/em>]. I love her! Not that I want to be a mean, badass bitch, but there\u2019s something about it. It\u2019s fun to yell and tell someone off.<\/p>\n The best part about being a woman in Hollywood is that I\u2019m a working woman in Hollywood, and that I get to continue doing what I love. I\u2019ve 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\u2014that\u2019s a really wonderful thing that we get to do now that we\u2019re 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. <\/em>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.<\/p>\n It was so alarming and shocking, yet not shocking. [The Friends<\/em> cast and I] always said, \u201cI hope I never get that phone call.\u201d We miss him. He\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Dress, Givenchy by Sarah Burton. Heels, Gianvito Rossi.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n I love Good Morning America<\/em>\u2014I 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<\/em>\u2014we walked through the halls and woke up at the crack of dawn, and saw what happens when [everyone is] working while the world\u2019s asleep, being busy bees collecting the information and writing the stories. And it\u2019s 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\u2019ve stayed and been doing it for 20 years\u2014to give up your personal life for your job.<\/p>\n It\u2019s like kale or quinoa. It\u2019s the new thing: the manoverse. Someone said to me recently, \u201cThe good news is anybody can do a podcast, and the bad news is anybody can do a podcast.\u201d We all need to listen to both sides. That\u2019s what we\u2019ve lost. We\u2019ve lost communication, we\u2019ve 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\u2019s my way or the highway, and that\u2019s just not how the world works.<\/p>\n Lead image: Dress, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. Mules, Giuseppe Zanotti.<\/em><\/p>\n 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.<\/em><\/p>\n A version of this story appears in the December 2025\/January 2026 issue of ELLE.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n![\"jennifer](\"https:\/\/hips.hearstapps.com\/hmg-prod\/images\/elm120125cover-digital-jennifer-aniston-690a39a42c1a4.jpg?resize=980:*\" "\\"jennifer")
<\/p>\nOn how she got into comedy<\/h2>\n
On a piece of advice that stuck with her<\/h2>\n
On the projects that taught her the most<\/h2>\n
![\"jennifer](\"https:\/\/hips.hearstapps.com\/hmg-prod\/images\/elm120125wljenniferaniston-004-6908dd831aed0.jpg?resize=980:*\" "\\"jennifer")
<\/p>\n
\n
\nOn the character who\u2019s most like her<\/h2>\n
On the highs and lows of being a woman in Hollywood<\/h2>\n
On losing Matthew Perry<\/h2>\n
![\"jennifer](\"https:\/\/hips.hearstapps.com\/hmg-prod\/images\/elm120125wljenniferaniston-001-6908ddbb3635b.jpg?resize=980:*\" "\\"jennifer")
<\/p>\nOn her favorite talk show<\/h2>\n
On exploring the rise of conservative male podcasters in this season of T<\/em>he Morning Show<\/em><\/h2>\n
\n