Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux: The Way They Were

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Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux: The Way They Were

A romance grounded in friendship. Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux called it quits in 2018, but their respectful post-split relationship still makes them #CoupleGoals. The duo first met in 2007 on the set of Tropic Thunder but didn't start dating until 2011, when they co-starred in the movie Wanderlust alongside Paul Rudd and Kathryn Hahn. "I thought he was so sweet and very nice," the Friends alum told PopSugar in 2012, recalling the first time she met her future husband. "But I remember thinking he was very dark. At first, you think he could be like a serial killer, but he's actually the nicest person in the world." The Mulholland Drive star, for his part, had to quickly learn how to cope with Aniston's level of fame. Though he was a well-known actor and screenwriter when they started dating, he wasn't quite as recognizable as the woman who had played Rachel Green for 10 years. "It's a bit like going to a slightly different altitude," he told GQ of their relationship in 2013. The pair got engaged in 2012 after one year of dating but waited three years to tie the knot. "We just want to do it when it's perfect, and we're not rushed, and no one is rushing from a job or rushing to a job," the Morning Show actress told the Associated Press in July 2013. "And, you know, we already feel married." When they finally did walk down the aisle in August 2015, they did it exactly their way. The twosome hosted an intimate party at their California home, telling friends and family that they would be celebrating Theroux's birthday. Instead, guests got to watch the happy couple say their vows. [jwplayer eEZHyqXD-zhNYySv2] “Marriage makes the small things much smaller and the big things small,” the Girl on the Train actor told Rhapsody magazine in July 2017. “You have an ally. It’s good to have someone have your back.” Less than three years after their wedding, though, the pair decided to end their marriage. “In an effort to reduce any further speculation, we have decided to announce our separation," they told Us Weekly in a joint statement in February 2018. "This decision was mutual and lovingly made at the end of last year. "We are two best friends who have decided to part ways as a couple, but look forward to continuing our cherished friendship.” While their romance ended, the former partners made good on their promise to maintain a "cherished friendship" and have kept in touch since their split. “Like it or not, we didn’t have that dramatic split, and we love each other,” Theroux told Esquire in April 2021. “I’m sincere when I say that I cherish our friendship. We can not be together and still bring each other joy and friendship. Keep scrolling for a look back at Aniston and Theroux's romance: [podcast_block]

Credit: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; James Devaney/WireImage.com; Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux: The Way They Were

A romance grounded in friendship. Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux called it quits in 2018, but their respectful post-split relationship still makes them #CoupleGoals. The duo first met in 2007 on the set of Tropic Thunder but didn't start dating until 2011, when they co-starred in the movie Wanderlust alongside Paul Rudd and Kathryn Hahn. "I thought he was so sweet and very nice," the Friends alum told PopSugar in 2012, recalling the first time she met her future husband. "But I remember thinking he was very dark. At first, you think he could be like a serial killer, but he's actually the nicest person in the world." The Mulholland Drive star, for his part, had to quickly learn how to cope with Aniston's level of fame. Though he was a well-known actor and screenwriter when they started dating, he wasn't quite as recognizable as the woman who had played Rachel Green for 10 years. "It's a bit like going to a slightly different altitude," he told GQ of their relationship in 2013. The pair got engaged in 2012 after one year of dating but waited three years to tie the knot. "We just want to do it when it's perfect, and we're not rushed, and no one is rushing from a job or rushing to a job," the Morning Show actress told the Associated Press in July 2013. "And, you know, we already feel married." When they finally did walk down the aisle in August 2015, they did it exactly their way. The twosome hosted an intimate party at their California home, telling friends and family that they would be celebrating Theroux's birthday. Instead, guests got to watch the happy couple say their vows. [jwplayer eEZHyqXD-zhNYySv2] “Marriage makes the small things much smaller and the big things small,” the Girl on the Train actor told Rhapsody magazine in July 2017. “You have an ally. It’s good to have someone have your back.” Less than three years after their wedding, though, the pair decided to end their marriage. “In an effort to reduce any further speculation, we have decided to announce our separation," they told Us Weekly in a joint statement in February 2018. "This decision was mutual and lovingly made at the end of last year. "We are two best friends who have decided to part ways as a couple, but look forward to continuing our cherished friendship.” While their romance ended, the former partners made good on their promise to maintain a "cherished friendship" and have kept in touch since their split. “Like it or not, we didn’t have that dramatic split, and we love each other,” Theroux told Esquire in April 2021. “I’m sincere when I say that I cherish our friendship. We can not be together and still bring each other joy and friendship. Keep scrolling for a look back at Aniston and Theroux's romance: [podcast_block]

Credit: James Devaney/WireImage.com

Wander-Love!

Love on set! After first crossing paths on set of Tropic Thunder in 2007, Aniston and Theroux reconnected and fell for each other while working together in the film Wanderlust three years later. At first denying a romantic relationship, the couple officially went public at an MTV Movie Awards afterparty at L.A.'s SoHo House in June 2011.

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Coordinating Partners

The twosome — often wearing coordinating black outfits — took their relationship to the next level in June. Us broke news that Theroux moved into Aniston's L.A. pad. "I'm extremely lucky, and I'm extremely happy," the Horrible Bosses actress told Good Morning America at the time. They traveled for a romantic Hawaii getaway one month later.

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New Year, Big Changes!

The year 2012 proved to be a special one for the Friends alum and her writer-director beau. They adopted a puppy named Sophie and were photographed kissing publicly for the first time during Aniston's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. "I always go to bed thinking I'm the luckiest guy in the world," Theroux told Extra.

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They're Engaged!

In August, the couple took the next step when Theroux popped the question on his 41st birthday at Greenwich Village's eatery Blue Hill in NYC. "Jen cried," an insider told Us. The moment was "simple." Just one month earlier, the pair sunbathed and relaxed during a European vacation in Paris and Rome.

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Back to Work

After celebrating their engagement with famous pals — including Courteney Cox — Aniston and Theroux kept low-key about their relationship. The pair were spotted shopping for furniture and having quiet dates. Aniston appeared to get emotional when asked about her hunky fiancé during an appearance on Chelsea Lately in October 2012.

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Annual Christmas Tree Party

Let the festivities begin! Aniston and Theroux spent their first holiday season as an engaged couple with a star-studded bash at their home. Demi Moore, Ellen DeGeneres, Tobey Maguire and Ben Stiller were just some of their famous pals who attended. They next celebrated New Year's Eve in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Jimmy Kimmel and his wife, Molly McNearney.

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Red Carpet Duo!

Aniston — in a red strapless Valentino dress — and Theroux attended the 85th Academy Awards together in Hollywood in February 2013. The We're the Millers actress later revealed that her husband-to-be loves to scare her. "Well, he calls it trickery. But he's constantly hiding behind drapes," she said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that April. 

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What's the Rush?

No split here! Breakup rumors were officially shot down in July when Aniston spoke about the pair's upcoming wedding plans to the Associated Press, saying that they had just wanted to wait until the time was right. 

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Gushy Goodness

Aniston and the Leftovers actor couldn't stop gabbing about each other in summer 2014. While promoting his HBO series, Theroux said he would want Aniston with him post-apocalypse and that he's loving their two-year engagement. Aniston, for her part, gushed about Theroux while celebrating his Details magazine cover. "He's just so beautiful and handsome to me, and I love that his eyeballs are so beautifully captured because those eyes just knock me out every day," she told Women's Wear Daily. "He just gets better every year."

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Support System

Theroux stood by his love’s side in the many months of press leading up to the release of her critically acclaimed drama Cake. In September 2014, the twosome attended a reception for the movie in Toronto. Aniston was celebrated for her work in the film about a chronic pain sufferer, nabbing Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Awards nominations.

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Golden Couple

The lovebirds lit up the red carpet in matching black at the 2015 Golden Globes. Though Aniston didn't walk away with the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama, she took home something even better: her hunky fiancé!

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Red Carpet Romance

Theroux and Aniston were one hot duo at the Critics' Choice Awards in January 2015. The lovebirds posed for photos at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Palladium, where the Friends star was honored for her work in Cake.

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Lights, Glamour, Action!

In January 2015, Theroux supported his love at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, where she was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for Cake.

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Love at the Oscars

Aniston and her beau turned up the glamour — and the PDA! — at the 2015 Academy Awards, where the Cake actress presented the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. They later posed together at the Vanity Fair after party, where they held court with Naomi Watts, Amy Adams and Jason Bateman.

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Just Married!

A little less than three years after they got engaged on Theroux's 41st birthday, the duo tied the knot in a secret wedding at their Bel-Air home.

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Supportive Pals!

The couple were on hand to support friend Bateman as he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood in July 2017. 

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Turning Heads

The couple matched in black as they walked the red carpet at the Vanity Fair Oscar party at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills in February 2017. 

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It’s Over

On February 15, 2018, Aniston and Theroux announced in a joint statement to Us that they were splitting after two years of marriage.

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An Easy Break

“The good news is that was probably the most — I’m choosing my words really carefully — it was kind of the most gentle separation, in that there was no animosity,” Theroux told The New York Times of the couple's split in 2018. “In a weird way, just sort of navigating the inevitable perception of it is the exhausting part.”

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No Hard Feelings

A year after their breakup, the Inland Empire star posted a birthday tribute to Aniston for her 50th birthday. "Happy Birthday to this fierce Woman," he wrote via Instagram. "Fiercely loving. Fiercely kind ... and fiercely funny. ❤️ you B.”

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Proud Pal

When the Friends With Money actress made her record-breaking Instagram debut in October 2019, Theroux couldn't have been more pleased to see her on the app. “She has sworn she was not gonna do it, and then she did it,” he told Extra. “I’m so proud of her — I thought it was so great. The world’s about to learn what a hilarious woman she is if they don’t already. She’s gonna be good at this.”

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Another Year

The Mosquito Coast actor took to Instagram in February 2020 to wish his ex a happy 51st birthday, sharing a funny photo of her flexing with the caption, "… grabbing 2020 and another year just like."

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Birthday Love

The Leftovers alum shared his by-then customary birthday wishes for Aniston when she turned 52 in February 2021. “Happy birthday @jenniferaniston,” he wrote in an Instagram Story. “❤️ you B!”

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Still Friends

“I would say we’ve remained friends,” Theroux told Esquire in April 2021. “We don’t talk every day, but we call each other. We FaceTime. We text.” He added that one of the things he likes most about Aniston is her ability to crack him up. "She makes me laugh very, very hard," he said. "She’s a hilarious person. It would be a loss if we weren’t in contact, for me personally. And I’d like to think the same for her.”

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'Facts of Life' Fun

Theroux reunited with both Aniston and Ann Dowd during the Live in Front of a Studio Audience special in December 2021, writing via Instagram that their group hug was an "Anne-sandwich."

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Smoke Show

The actor wished his ex-wife a happy 53rd birthday in a since-deleted February 2022 Instagram Story video that showed the California native lighting up a cigarette in a sweatshirt that read "I'm a Cool Blonde."

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Their New Normal

During a November 2022 interview with Allure, Aniston offered a glimpse at how she transformed her ex-husband's office into a "Babe Cave" for herself. “You can imagine he likes things black and dark,” she joked about the space. “I lightened it up, stripped it all. He came over [the other day] and was like, ‘What the f–k did you do?’ I said, ‘I brought the light back in, buddy.’” After Aniston shared photos from the cover shoot via Instagram, Theroux responded in the comments section, dropping fist bump and red heart emojis.