Jennifer Aniston opens up on inner trauma from childhood, addresses relationship rumors with Barack Obama
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jennifer Aniston, 55, on Wednesday, October 2, opened up about a challenging childhood experience during her appearance on 'The Jimmy Kimmel Live.'
The 'Friends' star reflected on growing up in Thousand Oaks, California, with her parents, John Aniston, a soap opera actor, and Nancy Dow.
Jennifer Aniston recalls childhood belly dancing trauma
During the interview, Jennifer Aniston confirmed an interesting memory from her childhood involving her family and holiday traditions, revealing that she was often asked to perform for her relatives.
When Jimmy Kimmel asked Aniston if it was true that her family made her belly dance on Christmas Eve, she replied with a surprising "yes," adding that it wasn’t limited to just Christmas Eve. "Any time, not just Christmas Eve," said Aniston.
"The Greeks love any kind of family dinner. They would say, 'Let's get up and watch'—it's like when you say to your child, 'Play piano for everyone, let's sing for everyone,'" she said.
She further shared that the pressure to perform as a child left her with lasting anxiety. "I have inner trauma from having to perform and belly dance in front of my Greek aunts and uncles and grandmothers," she said.
Jennifer Aniston addresses rumors about relationship with Barack Obama
Jennifer Aniston, who was on the talk show to promote her new children's book 'Clydeo Takes a Bite Out of Life', also addressed some bizarre rumors, including one about her relationship with former president Barack Obama.
Kimmel brought up a tabloid headline that read: 'The Truth About Jen and Barack,' which insinuated that Aniston had somehow stolen the attention of the former president from his wife, Michelle Obama.
Laughing, Aniston shared, "Of all the calls you get from your publicist where you're just like, 'Oh no, what's it gonna be?'... and then it's that. I was not mad at it," Daily Mail noted.
She completely denied the claim, stating it was "absolutely untrue" and explained that while she had only met the former president once, she actually knew Michelle more.
Jennifer Aniston denies bizarre rumors and past admission about childhood performances
Jimmy Kimmel continued asking Jennifer Aniston about several other odd rumors, including one that claimed she had traveled abroad with a jar of olives.
Another rumor alleged that she had a black belt in jiu-jitsu, which Aniston quickly dismissed, saying, "Absolutely not."
In 2016, Aniston told Entertainment Weekly, “When I was a kid, they used to make me belly dance. On Christmas Eve."
"My dad’s whole side of the family is Greek, so I would dress up as a little Greek girl and then on Christmas, after taking belly-dancing classes, I would do that. It had nothing to do with Christmas, even. It was just, ‘Let’s humiliate Jen on Christmas,'” she said.
