Details surrounding a “mean-spirited but effective campaign” launched by Angelina Jolie against Jennifer Aniston have emerged.
Watch: Inside Brad and Jen’s Parisian honeymoon.
The 43-year-old actress, who has been married three times, is said to have been determined to silence the ‘man-stealer’ talk after Brad Pitt walked out on Jen.
She was so determined, she allegedly had her team leak ‘stories’ to the press claiming Jen chose her career over having a baby with Brad, which caused the split.
“Jolie and her camp planted press stories in 2005 that painted Aniston in a negative light. Specifically? That Aniston firmly prioritised her career over starting a family which put her directly at odds with Pitt, who ached for kids,” Ian Halperin wrote in his 2009 book, Brangelina: The Untold Story.
“She was convinced that this is the story that would resonate with all these women who saw her as a man-stealer,” he added.
Jen and Brad were Hollywood’s golden couple, with the pair meeting in 1998 and marrying in 2000.
Brad famously left Jennifer for his Mr & Mrs Smith co-star Angelina in 2005.
In an interview with Parade magazine shortly after their split, Brad, now 55, referred to his marriage with Jennifer as “dull”. He also stated that life for him became more exciting when he met and fell in love with Angelina.
In a heart-wrenching Vanity Fair interview shortly after their split, Jennifer, who was then 36, staunchly refuted the claims.
“A man divorcing would never be accused of choosing career over children,” she said. “That really p***ed me off. I’ve never in my life said I didn’t want to have children. I did and I do and I will!
“The women that inspire me are the ones who have careers and children; why would I want to limit myself? I’ve always wanted to have children, and I would never give up that experience for a career. I want to have it all.”
Brad and Jen are friends again, with the star even attending his ex-wife’s 50th birthday celebrations in February.
