After being in a relationship that was very much in the spotlight, Justin Theroux is happy to keep his current dating life under the radar. In a new interview with Esquire, the actor opened up about what it's like to be on the other side of the media frenzy that surrounded his relationship with ex-wife Jennifer Aniston. (The pair started dating in 2011 and were married from 2015 to 2017.) Recently, the former spouses were spotted out together joining a couple of friends for dinner, and have supported each other in various ways since divorcing. Theroux explained to the magazine why he's made the decision not to talk about Aniston or their relationship publicly, even though they are on great terms. Read on to find out more.
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Speaking to Esquire, Theroux said it's "more fun" to be in relationships that have some level of privacy, while also explaining why he doesn't like to comment on Aniston.
"There's something to, once you're out of that, where I want all of my relationships to exist within the four walls of whatever room we're in," the 51-year-old actor said. "And I'm not trying to be evasive, but I talk to Jen—I don't talk about Jen. People will always want to gossip and say things, but you have to find that balance. And having been in a public relationship, it's much more fun not being in a public relationship. Me saying anything, even if it was something loving, it would just turn into a thing. So it's a classic no-comment situation for me."
On April 25, Page Six reported that Aniston and Theroux had dinner in New York City with couple Jason Bateman and Amanda Anka.
The Ozark star is Theroux and Aniston's mutual friend. In a 2021 interview, Theroux said that Bateman gave him "one of the most sage pieces of advice ever" when he started dating Aniston. It had to do with the tabloid media creating an image of him.
"He said, 'Look, in that side of the entertainment industry, a character is about to be born. And that character is you, but it's not you,'" Theroux told Sunday Today. "'That character is, you know, angry. That character has got a problem. That character is, you know, sweet. It's just this little soap opera that gets written in the margins.' And he said, 'And so, my advice is don't follow that guy's storyline.'"
Theroux added, "I stuck to it. And that's the only way you can sort of keep sane in all that."
Theroux has shared in the past that he and Aniston have remained close friends.
"Like it or not, we didn't have that dramatic split, and we love each other," Theroux told Esquire in 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."
The Mosquito Coast star continued, "She makes me laugh very, very hard. 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."
In the years since their split, Theroux and Aniston have shouted each other out on social media, including in birthday posts, and they've celebrated Thanksgiving together.
Theroux also showed support for Aniston when she appeared on the cover of Allure's December 2022 issue. When Aniston posted about the cover on Instagram, Theroux left a fist bump emoji and a heart emoji, as reported by People. Theroux's comment was notable since the cover story was a particular vulnerable one in which Aniston opened up about having struggled with fertility.
Aniston mentioned Theroux in that Allure interview while talking about renovating a small cottage at the back of the home they shared.
"Welcome to the Babe Cave," Aniston told the magazine. "This was Justin's office. You can imagine he likes things black and dark. I lightened it up, stripped it all. He came over [the other day] and was like, 'What the [expletive] did you do?' I said, 'I brought the light back in, buddy.'"
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