Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt made headlines back in January when they ran into each other at the SAG Awards and exchanged friendly congratulations over their respective acting wins. Even an objectively inconsequential moment like that was enough to breath new life into the ever-present rumors that they’re going to get back together at some point. But alas, with no new developments in their supposed reunion for months now, the tabloid media has had to start getting creative about their Pitt/Aniston stories. Here are four bogus themes Gossip Cop has shut down recently on the non-couple.
They Welcomed Babies Via Surrogate?
To start off, a New Idea cover story in early April claimed that Pitt and Aniston had not only reunited, they’d also welcomed twins via a surrogate. A woman who had once acted as a surrogate mother for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick was pregnant again, and the tabloid combed through this private person’s social media pages in a massively invasive attempt to find information on her. Gossip Cop found absolutely nothing about her pregnancy that could connect her to Pitt and Aniston, who, of course, were not actually back together, as sources close to both of them told us. The whole story was built on lie after lie.
Angelina Jolie, Back With A Vengeance
A week later, Angelina Jolie, Pitt’s second ex-wife and a recurring villain in this imaginary narrative, turned up in a phony Woman’s Day article that alleged she was threatening a renewed custody battle with Pitt if he didn’t end things with Aniston. The tabloid claimed that Jolie had “banned Brad from letting Jen hang out with the children until the divorce is finalized” and was apparently demanding a far bigger divorce settlement of “$100 million or more.” Gossip Cop dismissed the claim as just the latest in a fully fictional saga. Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston are not back together, and Jolie is not out to make Pitt’s life a living hell. End of story.
Aniston Gave Up Alcohol For Pitt?
The following week, NW cashed in on another popular theme for gossip outlets: Pitt’s struggles with alcoholism, which he’s recently opened up about in interviews. The tabloid insisted that Aniston was giving up alcohol to be with Pitt in order to focus on having a baby. Gossip Cop pointed out that, on top of the fact that they’re not back together, Aniston has shut down media speculation on her having children. She had also stated in an interview that “some people are just built to be wives and have babies,” she didn’t know “how naturally” that came to her.
And Finally, Their Supposed “Love Nest”
Towards the end of April, Woman’s Day came back with another ridiculous rumor, this time claiming that Brad Pitt was building Jennifer Aniston a “love nest” near where his parents live in the Ozarks. The tabloid was undoubtedly inspired by Pitt’s recent appearance on the Property Brothers show Celebrity IOU in which he helped renovate his makeup artist’s home. But just because he engaged in one construction project didn’t mean he was building a vacation home in Missouri for a woman who is not, in fact, his girlfriend.
Gossip Cop also shot down the tabloid’s prediction that Angelina Jolie would “spit venom” when she found out about the supposed project, because she’d think all his extra money should be going to her for child support. As if she’s not one of the highest-paid actresses in the world and depends on Pitt for her livelihood.