Jennifer Aniston has dealt with rumours her whole life. The first one came from her mother.

Jennifer Aniston has never been one to overshare. 

And her latest Vanity Fair profile proves exactly that. Even when she decides to open up, you can feel her holding back with every carefully chosen word.

In the profile, the 56-year-old Morning Wars star discussed everything from her zen-like home sanctuary to her ongoing friendship with Gwyneth Paltrow, with whom she apparently still "gossips" about their mutual ex, Brad Pitt. I mean…real. 

Listen to The Spill for more on Jennifer Aniston's biggest betrayal. Article continues after video.

But perhaps most tellingly, Aniston opened up about her complicated relationship with the media — and why she has remained so protective of her privacy for decades. 

And if you know the lore, it makes perfect sense.

Aniston's 2005 divorce from Brad Pitt was one of Hollywood's most scrutinised splits, with tabloids creating a toxic narrative around her response to subsequent relationship with Angelina Jolie. 

For Aniston, the experience had been devastating. 

"It was such a vulnerable time," she told Vanity Fair. "Journalism back then felt more like a form of a sport."

Image: Getty

The actress described how the media coverage had felt like entertainment rather than reporting. 

"It was such juicy reading for people. If they didn't have their soap operas, they had their tabloids," she explained. "It's a shame that it had to happen, but it happened. And boy did I take it personally."

The relentless coverage left lasting scars. Even now, nearly two decades later, Aniston seemingly remains cautious about how her words might be twisted. But even before the tabloid frenzy surrounding her divorce, Aniston had actually experienced what may have been an even deeper betrayal — from her own mother, Nancy Dow. 

In 1996, just two years into Aniston's career-defining role on Friends, Dow appeared on the tabloid show Hard Copy to discuss their strained relationship. Aniston had been reportedly devastated that her mother had chosen to air their private family issues publicly.

A young Aniston with her mother and father. Image: Getty

But it got worse. In 1999, Dow published a tell-all memoir that included intimate details about Aniston's life — her therapy sessions, her "boyfriend problems," her issues with her dad. Dow claimed writing the book was "therapy" for her. 

"You spend all this time raising a child, with a lot of good intentions, and you feel you have failed," she said. "It makes you feel very ashamed."

Aniston cut her mother out of her life completely. Dow wasn't invited to her daughter's wedding to Brad Pitt in 2000, and despite them apparently making up later, she also missed her wedding to Justin Theroux in 2015.

In past interviews, Aniston also described her mother as "very critical."

"Because she was a model, she was gorgeous, stunning," Aniston told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015. "I wasn't. I never was."

According to Aniston, Dow would constantly offer unsolicited advice on how to improve her daughter's features, including tips on how to make her "tiny" lips look bigger.

Image: Getty

Despite their alleged estrangement, in 2015, Jennifer told The Hollywood Reporter that her relationship with her mother was "fine." Dow passed away in 2016 at age 79. 

"No matter how complicated and difficult the relationship between Nancy and Jennifer may have been, it is heartbreaking for any daughter to lose her mother," a family source told People at the time of Dow's passing. 

All things considered, it all makes sense. The careful media appearances, the guarded interviews. If the Vanity Fair interview, or any of her other media appearances, tells us anything, it's that Jennifer Aniston is an expert at appearing accessible whilst remaining completely protected.

And honestly? Good on her.

Feature Image: Getty.