On the darkest days, when a child feels scared and lonely, it’s the mother who feels like the only safe space. However, what happens when one is devoid of such a relationship with one’s parent? Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston has been open about her difficult relationship with her mother. In fact, the mother-daughter duo remains estranged for around 15 years.
During one of her 2007 interviews, Aniston opened up about her strained relationship with her mother. Discussing her struggles while growing up, the F.R.I.E.N.D.S actress revealed that she was ‘thrilled’ to get out of her house.
Jennifer Aniston opens up on why she was thrilled to get out of her house
Jennifer Aniston comes from a family of actors. Her father, John Aniston enjoyed a considerable amount of success as an actor, especially after starring as Victor Kiriakis in Days of Our Lives. However, what many might not know is that Jennifer Aniston’s mother, Nancy Dow also tried to make it as an actor in the 60s.
Having landed a single-episode role in The Beverly Hillbillies, Dow gave up her acting career in 1969. Growing up, Jennifer Aniston was exposed to her parent’s toxic relationship that later ended in divorce when her father abruptly left the house. Recalling the traumatic experience, Aniston shared with Esquire,
“When I was about nine, I came home from a friend’s party and my dad wasn’t there. Divorce happens in a lot of families, and I don’t want to break out the violins. But that was that.”
Furthermore, in another interview with Elle in 2018, Aniston revealed that as she grew up, her mother became quite critical of her looks. She reminisced,
“She was from this world of, ‘Honey, take better care of yourself,’ or ‘Honey, put your face on,’ or all of those odd sound bites that I can remember from my childhood.”
Claiming how all of these added to a rough childhood, she added that she wasn’t exactly sad about leaving her house as she grew up. She said, “My house was not a fun house to live in. I was thrilled to get out.”
Did Aniston ever make peace with her mom?
Unfortunately, even after Jennifer Aniston achieved success, she couldn’t get closer to her mother. In fact, owing to a few incidents, the distance between the two increased. Back in 1996, her mother decided to take part in a tell-all interview. And this made Aniston upset, who wasn’t exactly comfortable talking to the press about her difficult relationship.
Furthermore, Dow went on to write a tell-all memoir titled “From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir,” the publication of which made their relationship worse. However, the duo made peace in 2005. Aniston said in a 2005 interview,
“Yeah, it’s been really nice. It’s been really nice. It’s crazy what, you know, your life kind of being turned upside down will lead you to. … For us it’s … it was the time, and it was going to happen when it was supposed to happen. So this is good. It’s baby steps.”
On several occasions after that, Aniston revealed that she has forgiven both her parents. Claiming that the experiences taught her a lot about resentment and forgiveness, Aniston remained on good terms with her mother till she passed away in 2016.
Source: The Things
