Jennifer Aniston Forgave Her Dad For Leaving Her As A Child

Jan 29, 2020 by apost team

In just a few short months, Jennifer Aniston has established herself as the new reigning queen of Instagram. Although she only joined the social network in October of last year, the star has quickly amassed a major fanbase with over 26 million followers.

Recently, she posted a throwback pic of her with her father John Aniston, star of 'Days of our Lives'. What people may not be aware of, is that although the two are close once again, John once abandoned his daughter and didn't see her for a year afterwards. 

As the 50-year-old celebrity was celebrating the holidays, she managed to spark a little internet revelry with a sweet sepia-toned throwback photo. The touching image featured her as a young child with adorable tiny arms draped around her dad's neck.

Another picture was posted soon after showing the father-and-daughter duo in more recent years. Her caption was sweet and simple: "Christmas with one of my creators. Then and now... Love you, papa."

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While everything appears rosy and charming now, the road to this present state of grace was far from easy.

John Aniston and Nancy Dow were living as a married couple from 1965 to 1980, which is when the 'Days of Our Lives' star suddenly disappeared from Jennifer's life without warning. Dow was also caught off-guard and did her best to adjust as a newly single mother.

As a grown-up, the actress candidly opened up regarding the pain of her family relationships during childhood. According to a resurfaced interview with The Rolling Stone from 1999, Jennifer's recollection of the life-shattering event was as follows:

"My mom told me. I went to a birthday party, and when I came back, she said, 'Your father's not going to be around here for a little while.' She didn't say he was gone forever... I just remember sitting there crying, not understanding that he was gone."

Sadly, Jennifer didn't hear a thing from her absentee dad for about a year, and she openly described the time without him as numb and confusing; however, the man known best for playing Victor Kiriakis eventually reappeared out of the blue.

As 'The Morning Show' producer explained,

"He just called one day and said, 'Let's go see 'The Fantasticks.' So we had a little dinner and saw the show. After that, I started seeing him on weekends, and this new way of life just unfolded."

Over the years, Jennifer was slowly able to learn more about her parent's traumatizing separation.

At first, there was an unhealthy dynamic where she tried to be overly well-behaved as a way to potentially stave off the threat of being left again. This made it impossible for her to process a lot of anger until much later.

When asked if John ever attempted to make his decision clear, she revealed,

"Not at first. Like I said, he's not a good communicator... But, as best he could, my dad explained and apologized, and it's enough. We've made up. There are still parts that are hard for me, but I'm an adult. I can't blame my parents anymore."

The A-list headliner also once told The Hollywood Reporter that her dad did everything he could to try and discourage her entry into the world of acting.

"My dad's advice has always been: 'Don’t do it. Become a doctor. Become a lawyer.'"

Despite his words of warning, Jen decided to give it a shot anyway, and she got her start by contacting John's agent directly. As a result, her father was tuned into her Hollywood career trajectory, but he maintained a hands-off approach as her concerned fatherly observer.

As Jen explained, the cautionary admonishment actually backfired, but she knew it was coming from the right place:

"He didn't want me to be heartbroken because he knew it was a tough business. It compelled me to go for it even harder."

Were you surprised to learn about Jen's relationship with her father? It goes to show you never know what pain someone may carry in their heart. Pass this story on to fans of Jen or anyone who may need to be reassured that rifts can be healed.