Listen, we’ve heard some wild showbiz rumours in our time – Kate Middleton’s alleged “butt lift” and Beyoncé’s purportedly “fake baby bump” notwithstanding. But reports that circulated last year – that Jennifer Aniston and Barack Obama had been enjoyed a torrid affair – might just have been one of the most bonkers of the bunch. Needless to say, the story was unequivocally denied, with Jen herself rubbishing reports last October on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
“Of all the calls you get from your publicist where you’re just like, ‘Oh, no, what’s it gonna be?’ or you get an email saying some cheesy tabloid is gonna make up a story – and then it’s that…’ she said.
“I was not mad at it,” the 55 year old added, jokingly, before stressing that the story was ‘absolutely untrue’.
Yet last week, the wild story pairing Jen and the former president surfaced yet again amid speculation that the latter’s 32-year marriage to his beloved wife, Michelle Obama, is on the rocks. The former first couple, who have always been promulgated as having one of the strongest relationships in the public eye, have nevertheless had their partnership scrutinised for decades. But speculation intensified earlier this month, after Michelle failed to accompany Barack, 63, to the state funeral of ex-president Jimmy Carter – defying convention in the process. At the time, her office excused her absence, claiming she had a “scheduling conflict”, which already set tongues were wagging over the state of her and Barack’s marriage. Then, Michelle proved to be a no-show again at Donald Trump’s inauguration earlier this week – sending further gossip soaring. What did it all mean?
General consensus, it seems, is that Michelle’s public recent absences have far less to do with her husband than they have to do with her feelings over America’s new president. While Barack put his differences aside with the newly elected Trump at Jimmy Carter’s funeral, and even seemed to be sharing a joke or two with his former nemesis, Michelle is believed to have no such tolerance. She’s made no bones about her antipathy towards Trump’s policies, and previously spoke about her discomfort at having to sit through his 2017 inauguration. So, it’s no shock that – this time – she chose to sit this one out when it came to his investiture into the highest position of American politics, defying traditions and conventions.
Nevertheless, gossipmongers didn’t let her absence slide, and turned to both Michelle and Obama’s previous comments on the challenges they’ve faced as proof that they’re facing marital woes all over again. In 2022, Michelle admitted that, when their two daughters, Malia and Sasha, were younger, she’d sometimes turned against Barack. “People think I’m being catty,” she said during a panel discussion. “It’s like, there were ten years where I couldn’t stand my husband.” Barack acknowledged her comments the following year during an interview with CBS, saying, “Let me just say this: it sure helps to be out of the White House and to have a little more time with her.”
Last week, as rumours reached fever pitch that the couple were on the rocks, all attention turned to Barack’s social media activity on Michelle’s 61st birthday, on 17 January. Initially, he remained silent – prompting commentators to yell loudly that the marriage was over. Then, when Barack did finally post a gushing message, calling his wife of 32 years “the love of my life” and adding, “You fill every room with warmth, wisdom, humour and grace – and you look good doing it” – doubters suggested he was trying too hard to prove they were still in love. Clearly, the story was sticking – whatever path the Obamas took.
But where does Jennifer Aniston come into the narrative? The rumours first started last year, after podcaster Lindsey Weber alleged in an episode of the Who? Weekly podcast that Jen had a part to play in Barack and Michelle’s strained marriage, adding that the story came from “reliable sources”. She did then acknowledge it “obviously could be made up”. The story then cropped up again in October, after a US gossip magazine reiterated rumours of the affair, saying that Michelle felt “betrayed”.
Evidently, Jen – who often doesn’t comment on gossip and tittle-tattle about her life – felt the need to refute the rumours publicly, which she did on Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show in October. As well as calling the speculation “absolutely untrue”, she added that she’d actually had far more interaction with Michelle over the years. “I’ve met him once,” she said about the former president. “I know Michelle more than him.”
While it’s true that showbiz and politics often interconnect in the US – especially when it comes to the Obamas, who were famously beloved by most of Hollywood – it certainly seems that Jen’s involvement with Barack has only ever been from afar, as a political supporter, rather than a secret paramour. Referring to the only time she met him, this was actually in 2007, when she donated $2,300 to his presidential campaign – the maximum donation allowed for the Democratic primary – and attended a fundraiser. In 2008, when he was elected as president, she publicly celebrated the result and called it a “historical moment”. But despite being a proud and vocal Democrat, Jen’s evidently never shared a close friendship with Barack.
Still, as anyone in the public eye knows, once a story is out there, it’s hard to make it go away. The Obamas – for all their loving posts and tributes to one another – still face daily reports that their marriage is in trouble. Jen, for her part, continues to be linked to anybody she ever interacts with, on a personal or professional level. So, as speculation still stirs over Michelle’s whereabouts in the public eye, it’s safe to say these rumours, though wild and clearly unfounded, simply won’t go away. Just ask Harry Styles, who’s another famous face who has somehow, bizarrely and hilariously, been linked to Barack Obama.
In 2014, the National Examiner ran a story reporting that the former president and the former One Directioner were hooking up – prompting Harry to respond: “I’ve heard some good ones in my time, but that’s interesting.” So, at least Jen’s in good company when it comes to the Obama drama.