The real reason Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux split

In news that shocked the world and left pretty much all of us believing that love is dead, Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux are over.

The estranged couple said in a joint statement to the The Associated Press on Feb. 15, 2018, "Normally we would do this privately, but given that the gossip industry cannot resist an opportunity to speculate and invent, we wanted to convey the truth directly. Whatever else is printed about us that is not directly from us, is someone else's fictional narrative. Above all, we are determined to maintain the deep respect and love that we have for one another."


They were a couple since 2011, but were only married two years before pulling the plug on the relationship. What the heck happened to this seemingly happy husband and wife?

They had too little in common

A source told E! News that despite their mutual penchant for wearing black, Aniston and Theroux are simply from different worlds.

"Jennifer and Justin fell in love hard and fast and yet they were never really suited to one another. He was a New York hipster that loved the alternative lifestyle and Jennifer was living a much more reclusive life when they first started to fall in love. The initial chemistry between them made it easy for them to ignore their differences and incompatibility … He's more nomadic, more of a free spirit, he's rugged and urban and Jennifer just isn't that kind of person."

The source added, "Jennifer's previous breakups had taught her to live a life that was very secular; her friendship group was small and consisted of people that she intimately trusted. Justin was used to being way more social and so that was a big concession for him … They've had problems for a while."

They were insanely busy

A source told People, "For years, even before they married, they compromised and did their own thing. It has involved long separations, especially for their work demands."

The last year was particularly grueling schedule-wise: After Theroux wrapped up work on The Leftovers, he did voiceover work for The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017), appeared in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), filmed three more movies, and signed on for the TV show Maniac. Meanwhile, Aniston starred in The Yellow Birds (2017), filmed Dumplin' (2018), and signed on to an as-yet-untitled Apple TV project alongside Reese Witherspoon for 2018.

A source told Radar Online, "Jen's proud of Justin's work but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't looking forward to the end of his HBO series, The Leftovers, which has relocated to Australia for its third season." The insider claimed that "after Justin told her bosses were leaving a door open should HBO want another series, Jen flipped out … It would have been better if he could have gotten a serious movie career off the ground as that only involves him being away for six weeks instead of six months."


They may have had a faulty foundation

Aniston often gets painted as the victim of man-stealing Angelina Jolie, but it turns out she may have been a homewrecker herself. Before shacking up with Aniston in 2011, Theroux was in a live-in relationship with stylist Heidi Bivens for 14 years.

Bivens' mother told Radar Online, "Heidi told me what Justin had told her [after they broke up], that something was going to be written about him and Jennifer, that something was going on between them and he wanted her to know that it was nothing, there was nothing to it. Out of his own mouth he told my daughter there was nothing to [the news he was involved with Jennifer]."

A source told Grazia magazine (via Page Six), that Aniston tried to mend fences with Bivens. "Jen told Heidi that she understands what a painful time she has been going through and explained that she wanted her to know, hand on heart, that she would never steal another woman's man," the insider said."

They lived on separate coasts

The biggest hurdle for Aniston and Theroux's marriage was the physical distance between them.

A source told People, "Jennifer loves her life in Los Angeles, and if anything, she has grown more attached to being there. Justin is not that comfortable or happy in Los Angeles all the time. He loves New York and always has."

An insider told Us Weekly, "Jen tried the whole living in New York City thing with Justin, but at heart, she is a California girl. New York City just wasn't ever going to be home for Jen … [Theroux] spent most of his time [with friends in New York]. Encouraging Justin to spend as much time as he wanted in New York City is what doomed the marriage. Jen thought by doing so, spending time without her would make Justin miss her more."

A supposed friend of the pair saw the split coming, telling In Touch, "Jen and Justin have arguments about where they should live. Jen can't stand the weather in New York and she hates not having a car in the city to drive to wherever she needs to go … She's always hoping that they can work out their differences — she sees a glimmer of hope every time Justin returns to LA … Unless there is a miraculous turnaround on both of their parts and they can actually live together in the same home in the same city, Jen and Justin could be history."

The womb watch got old

niston's womb has been a constant source of media scrutiny since her days as Mrs. Brad Pitt, and her marriage to Theroux brought out tabloid hawks even more — and that devastated her, likely adding to tension within the marriage.

In a blistering op-ed for The Huffington Post in July 2016, Aniston wrote, "For the record, I am not pregnant. What I am is fed up … I may become a mother someday … But I'm not in pursuit of motherhood because I feel incomplete in some way … I resent being made to feel 'less than' because my body is changing and/or I had a burger for lunch and was photographed from a weird angle and therefore deemed one of two things: 'pregnant' or 'fat.' Not to mention the painful awkwardness that comes with being congratulated by friends, coworkers and strangers alike on one's fictional pregnancy (often a dozen times in a single day)."

Unfortunately, her op-ed didn't necessarily help. As Aniston told Vogue in August 2017, "I think the problem is the tabloids and the gossip columns taking the human body and putting it in a category. They're either fat-shaming, or body-shaming, or childless-shaming … I have worked too hard in this life and this career to be whittled down to a sad, childless human … I couldn't hear this narrative anymore about being pregnant or not pregnant; you have no idea what is going on personally in our lives and why that is or is not happening."


Gerard Butler may still have the hots for her

Aniston dated 300 (2006) actor Gerard Butler in 2009 while they were filming The Bounty Hunter (2010). Though the romance was short-lived, sources say the former co-stars may be giving it another go.

"Jen has been leaning hard on Gerard as her relationship with Justin continues to disintegrate," a source told Radar Online in February 2018, just days before news of the breakup broke. The source added that Butler telling Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in January 2018 that Aniston was a better kisser than Angelina Jolie was no accident, either.

"It's no coincidence that just as Jen's marriage is imploding, Gerard made a public display of affection and loyalty toward her … She's really touched that Gerard is proving he has her back," the insider alleged. "Gerard told Jen he's still carrying a torch for her. He's made it clear that the timing wasn't right before, but he's ready to commit to her now."

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