Jennifer Aniston calls out 'reckless assumptions' about why she's not a mom: 'Maybe my purpose isn't to procreate'

Erin Donnelly
·Yahoo Life Senior Editor

If you’ve heard of Jennifer Aniston — and who hasn’t? — you’ve no doubt also heard any number of rumors about her personal life. There’s the Angelina Jolie-Brad Pitt drama, the breakup with second husband Justin Theroux earlier this year, and the constant concern that she’ll never have kids — all of which is routinely splashed across magazine covers.

Jennifer Aniston addresses speculation about her parenting plans in the September issue of <i>InStyle</i>. (Photo: Ben Hassett/InStyle)
Jennifer Aniston addresses speculation about her parenting plans in the September issue of InStyle. (Photo: Ben Hassett/InStyle)

As the cover star of InStyle‘s September issue, Aniston is ready to address the speculation about her romances and baby-making plans head-on.

“It’s pretty crazy,” the 49-year-old star tells interviewer and real-life friend Molly McNearney, who happens to be married to Jimmy Kimmel. “The misconceptions are ‘Jen can’t keep a man,’ and ‘Jen refuses to have a baby because she’s selfish and committed to her career.’ Or that I’m sad and heartbroken.

“First, with all due respect, I’m not heartbroken,” she continues. “And second, those are reckless assumptions. No one knows what’s going on behind closed doors. No one considers how sensitive that might be for my partner and me. They don’t know what I’ve been through medically or emotionally. There is a pressure on women to be mothers, and if they are not, then they’re deemed damaged goods. Maybe my purpose on this planet isn’t to procreate. Maybe I have other things I’m supposed to do?”

Jennifer Aniston has dealt with the tabloids for her entire career, but lately it seems relentless. “The misconceptions are ‘Jen can’t keep a man,’ and ‘Jen refuses to have a baby because she’s selfish and committed to her career.’ Or that I’m sad and heartbroken,” she tells dear friend @MMcNearney in our September cover story. “First, with all due respect, I’m not heartbroken. And second, those are reckless assumptions. No one knows what’s going on behind closed doors. No one considers how sensitive that might be for my partner and me. They don’t know what I’ve been through medically or emotionally. There is a pressure on women to be mothers, and if they’re not, then they’re deemed damaged goods. Maybe my purpose on this planet isn’t to procreate. Maybe I have other things I’m supposed to do.” | Photographed by @BenHassett; Styled by @JuliaVonBoehm

A post shared by instylemagazine (@instylemagazine) on Aug 1, 2018 at 5:15am PDT

The Dumplin’ actress, who calls her dogs “my kids,” also compared gossip about her life to “junk food.”

“For the most part I can sit back and laugh at the ridiculous headlines because they have gotten more and more absurd,” she says about the rumor mill. “I guess they’re feeding into some sort of need the public has, but I focus on my work, my friends, my animals, and how we can make the world a better place. That other stuff is junk food that needs to go back in its drawer.”

Jennifer Aniston split with second husband Justin Theroux earlier this year. (Photo: Michael Tran/FilmMagic)
Jennifer Aniston split with second husband Justin Theroux earlier this year. (Photo: Michael Tran/FilmMagic)

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