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.
“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: