Justin Theroux and Jennifer Aniston split nearly two years ago, but the Lady and the Tramp star is still “so proud” of his estranged wife’s record-breaking Instagram debut.
Theroux, 48, told Extra he didn’t know in advance that Aniston, 50, was joining the social media platform. “She has sworn she was not gonna do it, and then she did it,” he said in an interview published online on Tuesday, October 22. “I’m so proud of her — I thought it was so great.”
The Leftovers alum is also excited for his ex’s future on Instagram. “The world’s about to learn what a hilarious woman she is if they don’t already,” he said. “She’s gonna be good at this.”
In an interview Access Hollywood published on Tuesday, Theroux said that Aniston “had to do it in her own time.”
Aniston created her account on October 15, posting a selfie that featured all five of her fellow Friends alums — Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry. “And now we’re Instagram FRIENDS too,” she captioned the pic, which currently has more than 14 million likes. “HI INSTAGRAM.”
Theroux commented on the viral pic, writing, ““Woot-Woot! 🙌🏼❤️ #first.” (“It was actually a joke that I was ‘first,’” he told Access. “I wrote ‘first’ because I was, like, the 40 trillionth billionth to comment, and I think she had only been on for a couple hours.”)
The following day, Guinness World Records announced that she had broken the record for fastest time to reach 1 million followers, with a time of 5 hours and 16 minutes. That put the Morning Show star ahead of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan, who took five hours and 45 minutes to reach the same milestone when they launched their @sussexroyal account in April.
The Murder Mystery actress, who now has more than 15 million Instagram followers, sounded off about social media just days prior. “What you resist, persists,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “It’s something that is a part of our world now and it’s not going away.”
She also credited her Morning Show costar Reese Witherspoon for making Instagram “sound intriguing” as a place to speak one’s mind. “You can actually have a little bit more control over the narrative that’s out there,” Aniston said. “[You can] right some wrongs and some silly things that, God knows, are said often.”
Aniston and Theroux announced in February 2018 that they had split at the end of 2017, following six years together and two years of marriage. “We are two best friends who have decided to part ways as a couple, but look forward to continuing our cherished friendship,” they said in a statement to Us Weekly at the time.
Theroux sent birthday wishes to the “fiercely loving” Aniston in February of this year, and in July, the former couple seemingly reunited to say goodbye to their beloved dog, Dolly.
