In honor of Jennifer Aniston’s 57th birthday, here are the craziest things she’s confessed to over the years.
1. Her sleepwalking set off alarms
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 09: Jennifer Aniston attends "The Morning Show" Season 4 New York Premiere at Museum of Modern Art on September 09, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
While suffering from sleep issues, Aniston was prone to sleepwalking, she told People. How did she know? “I've been woken up by house alarms going off that I've set off. And I don't think I do that anymore — that was when I was super sleep deprived," she said.
Eventually, the “Friends” star realized her sleep problems were so bad, she needed professional help. "It became something that I really was struggling with," she said. "It used to be the last thing on the list, but you can't really abide by the three pillars of health — which are diet, exercise and sleep — if you can't really exercise and you can't really eat right if you haven't slept well because your body clock is so completely thrown off."
2. She had a crush on David Schwimmer
FRIENDS — "The One Where Ross Finds Out" Episode 7 — Air Date 11/09/1995 — Pictured: (l-r) David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green (Photo by Robert Isenberg/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
Ross and Rachel weren’t the only ones with sparks between them. The actors who played them were also crushing on each other, David Schwimmer and Aniston revealed during “Friends: The Reunion” on HBO Max.
Host James Corden refused to believe that none of the “Friends” cast members had dated each other. “You were all young, hot, good-looking, successful actors. It’s inconceivable to me that there weren’t, perhaps, off-screen romances.” Immediately, Aniston looked to Schwimmer and said, “Uh, well I mean David?” prompting laughter from the audience.
"The first season, we– I had a major crush on Jen," Schwimmer admitted. Aniston was then quick to point out, “It was reciprocated.”
Although they had feelings for each other, they were never able to make a relationship work. “It was like two ships passing,” Schwimmer said. “One of us was always in a relationship and we never crossed that boundary. We respected that.”
Matt LeBlanc, who played Joey on both “Friends” and its spin-off show, then jumped in. “Bulls—t,” he said under a fake cough.
3. She has an impressive level of self-control
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 14: Jennifer Aniston attends the 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 14, 2024 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
Aniston may have one of the strangest eating habits we’ve ever heard of. When InStyle asked what she eats when she’s stressed, Aniston replied, “a chip. Crunch, crunch, crunch.”
Yes, you heard that right. One chip. Just one. And chips aren’t the only food Aniston can resist eating a whole bagful of. “I can have one M&M, one chip. I know, that's so annoying,” she said.
4. She had a unique pre-flight ritual
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 27: Jennifer Aniston is seen filming on location for 'The Morning Show' in the Flatiron District on July 27, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images)
To combat her extreme fear of flying, Aniston once developed a superstition; before boarding a flight, she would tap the outside of the plane with her right hand, then step onto the plane with her right foot.
Eventually, though, she turned to a different method to cure her anxiety. “I have been doing some hypnosis lately, and one of the requirements is to remove all of those superstitions,” she told Travel + Leisure. “I have not been doing the right hand, right foot—and now it's shockingly good!”
5. Her skincare routine involves a strange ingredient
While dispelling rumors on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Aniston admitted she previously received a salmon sperm facial. “Let me explain to you, it’s not like, how do you get sperm out of a salmon,” she clarified. “I just took the [facialist’s] word that that’s what it was. And I was like, sure.”
Aniston explained that the salmon sperm was part of a microneedling procedure. “Don’t I look like a salmon?” she jokingly asked the audience. “Don’t I have beautiful salmon skin?”
6. She never travels abroad without a particular food item
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 19: Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon of "The Morning Show" speak onstage during the Apple TV+ segment of the 2020 Winter TCA Tour at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on January 19, 2020 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)
Aniston has previously said she’s known to overpack before vacations, but it wasn’t until her appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” that she confirmed she prefers to travel with a jar of olives in her suitcase. Her reasoning? Well, she didn’t say. She must just really love olives.
7. Her love of olives extends beyond travel
Jennifer Aniston arrives at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, file)
For Christmas 2024, Aniston added a silly ornament to her tree: a jar of olives. She posted a photo to her Instagram stories with the caption, “If you know me, you know,” followed by an olive emoji and a red heart, People reported at the time.
8. She may or may not have a Ziplock bag filled with her dead therapist’s ashes
Jennifer Aniston arrives at a screening of "The Morning Show" during PaleyFest, April 12, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Aniston will soon become a children's author. The âFriendsâ star has a 4-book deal with HarperCollins Publishers and animation studio Invisible Studio for a series of works featuring the animated dog Clydeo, based on the actor's own rescue pet, Clyde. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
When late-night host Jimmy Kimmel brought up this rumor, Aniston was almost too stunned to speak. Yet, she didn’t deny it. She tried pleading the fifth before Kimmel said, “That one’s a little bit true, right?”
“It’s a little true,” Aniston revealed, adding, “Oh, I’m gonna sound like I really need a therapist after this.”
9. Her artwork has hung in the MoMA
This image released by Apple TV+ shows Jennifer Aniston in a scene from "The Morning Show." (Apple TV+ via AP)
New York City’s Museum of Modern Art is home to the works of Van Gogh, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, and, at one point, Jennifer Aniston. When she was 11 years old, the museum did an exhibit of art by children at the school Aniston attended. The piece is no longer on display at the museum, and Aniston did not reveal where it lives today.
10. She hasn’t crossed off every item on her bucket list
Jennifer Aniston arrives at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Aniston has had an illustrious career, but there’s one thing she has yet to accomplish. “I definitely want to do a Broadway play,” she told People in 2025. “That’s on my bucket list, but it’s finding the time and finding the right piece, the right material. But I absolutely have to do a play on Broadway.”
11. She once asked an NBC executive for a washer-dryer
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 28: Jennifer Aniston attends the Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix's "Murder Mystery 2" at Regency Village Theatre on March 28, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/FilmMagic)
On Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, Aniston revealed the strange request she had after booking “Friends”: she wanted a washer-dryer.
“I just kept hearing that all these actors were getting like, cars and getting these things once they got hired. And ‘Friends’ had happened and I was like, why do [actors] get these treats for shows and stuff, these very expensive gifts?”
NBC executive Warren Littlefield then asked what Aniston wanted, but she blanked in the moment. “I couldn’t think of anything. And I was like, ‘I need a washer and a dryer.’”
And yes, she got what she asked for.
