Justin Theroux Opens Up On Split From Jennifer Aniston

Justin Theroux has publicly spoken about his separation from Jennifer Aniston for the first time in an interview with The New York Times.

The actor described the breakup as “heartbreaking” in the sense “that the friendship would not be the same, as far as just the day to day.”

“But the friendship is shifting and changing, you know, so that part is something that we’re both very proud of,” he said.

Earlier this year, the couple announced in a joint statement that they had officially ended their relationship after more than two years of marriage.

“We are two best friends who have decided to part ways as a couple, but look forward to continuing our cherished friendship,” the couple said.

As with any high-profile Hollywood breakup, the announcement sent the rumor mill into overdrive.

In August, Aniston was forced to challenge the notion that she’s Hollywood’s perennial sad sack in an interview with InStyle.

“It’s pretty crazy. The misconceptions are ‘Jen can’t keep a man,’ and ‘Jen refuses to have a baby because she’s selfish and committed to her career,’” Aniston said. “Or that I’m sad and heartbroken. First, with all due respect, I’m not heartbroken. And second, those are reckless assumptions.”

Speaking to the Times, Theroux said the speculation surrounding the pair’s separation was “just on crack and steroids now.”

“These are actually in reality small events that take place,” he said. “But everything can feel like 10 on the Richter scale if you make the headline big enough and salacious enough.”

The 47-year-old also added that the decision to part ways wasn’t an acrimonious one.

“The good news is that was probably the most – I’m choosing my words really carefully – it was kind of the most gentle separation, in that there was no animosity,” he said. “In a weird way, just sort of navigating the inevitable perception of it is the exhausting part.”

“Again, neither one of us is dead, neither one of us is looking to throw hatchets at each other. It’s more like, it’s amicable. It’s boring but, you know, we respected each other enough that it was as painless as it could be”

You can read The New York Times article in full here.