Jennifer Aniston shuts down pressure on women to have babies as 'silliness'

Jennifer Aniston has spoken out against the pressure on women in society to get married and start a family, dismissing the constant tabloid speculation about her personal life as "silliness." 

The Friends star, who leads a childfree lifestyle, has never been one to apologize for her choices. After nearly two decades in the spotlight, she has gradually learned to drown out the criticism towards her real-life character, using therapy and yoga to cope with the stress of fame. 

But there's one thing that, even after all these years, still gets to her—the enduring expectation to have a baby. The Emmy-Award-winning actor has spent much of her TV and film career justifying her rejection of parenthood, and it looks like she's finally ready to change the yell 'cut' on the tiresome subject. 

"Sometimes you can't help family members or people sending stuff over going, 'What is this? You're having a baby? Are you getting married?'" she told People magazine in a recent interview. "It's like, 'Oh, good gosh, when and how many years will it take for you to ignore that silliness?'" 

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The media obsession with Jennifer's childfree life came to a head just a few months ago, when TMZ incorrectly reported that she was in the process of adopting a child. According to the gossip website, The Morning Show actor was showered with love and advice after announcing the 'news' to her costars at the Friends reunion. The story gained such prominence that Jennifer Aniston responded to the baby adoption rumors, calling them 'false' and insisting the alleged discussion with her castmates had never happened. 

This isn't the first time the Golden Globe winner has been forced to address her childfree status. She penned a passionate essay in the Huffington Post back in 2016, in which she called out the media for its inappropriate fixation on her reproductive choices.  "We don't need to be married or mothers to be complete. We get to determine our own 'happily ever after' for ourselves," she wrote. 

Jennifer buckled down on her stance two years later, revealing she finds the prospect of motherhood "quite honestly, kind of frightening." 

"Some people are just built to be wives and have babies," she told Elle in 2018. "I don't know how naturally that comes to me." 

The Friends icon may not want human children, but when it comes to her pets, she couldn't be a prouder mom. Jennifer brought her adorable rescue dog to work on The Morning Show, and regularly posts pictures with her three precious hounds on social media. With her furry sidekicks, high flying career, and beloved friends, there's not much else the Hollywood starlet could ask for. 

"I'm in a really peaceful place. I have a job that I love, I have people in my life who are everything to me, and I have beautiful dogs," she said. "I'm just a very fortunate and blessed human being."