Jennifer Aniston is explaining why she wrote her op-ed in 2016 for The Huffington Post, speaking out against the behavior of some mainstream media in regards to her starting a family.
The Morning Show actress, 56, spoke with Harper's Bazaar in a new interview and opened up about the media scrutiny she received about whether she was pregnant when married to her former partners.
"They didn't know my story, or what I'd been going through over the past 20 years to try to pursue a family, because I don't go out there and tell them my medical woes," said Aniston. "That's not anybody's business."
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"But there comes a point when you can't not hear it -- the narrative about how I won't have a baby, won't have a family, because I'm selfish, a workaholic. It does affect me -- I'm just a human being. We're all human beings. That's why I thought, 'What the hell?'"
The star said she spoke up for others who might be in her situation because she knew a lot of people trying to have kids and dealing with in vitro fertilization (IVF).
"So it did feel like it was not only for myself, but for any women who were struggling with the same issue," Aniston explained.
In 2016, Aniston spoke with PEOPLE and shared similar sentiments about how often she gets asked about having kids.
"It's not something that's in our everyday life, quite honestly. It's more questions that arise in a red carpet line or in an interview," the actress told PEOPLE at the time.
"I just find it to be energy that is unnecessary and not really fair for those who may or may not [have children]," she added. "Who knows what the reason is, why people aren't having kids. There's a lot of reasons that could be, and maybe it's something that no one wants to discuss."
"It's everyone's personal prerogative, that's all."
This past August, Aniston's close friend actor Jason Bateman spoke with Vanity Fair for their recent story on the Friends star and shared that Aniston is very close with his two daughters, Francesca, 18, and Maple, 13, whom he shares with wife Amanda Anka. In fact, Bateman said Aniston is more of a "co-mom" with Anka than just a friend or aunt.
"She almost makes us parents look bad because she's so incredibly attentive and consistent with her curiosity and warmth," the Arrested Development alum told the outlet of Aniston, whom he met while costarring on a '90s sitcom with her friend.
"She's the first one to call or text about big dates in the girls' lives. She has questions about boyfriends," he continued.
When he's asked if she's an aunt to his daughters, Bateman said, "Aunts you might not see all the time. She's almost closer to a co-mom with Amanda. She's been a part of their lives from the moment they were born."
"It is odd for them to even understand the public Jennifer Aniston," he added.