Fact Check: Is Jennifer Aniston Jewish? Here’s the Full Picture of the ‘Friends’ Icons Surprisingly Varied Ethnic Background

Published 11/30/2023, 4:18 AM EST

via Imago

Jennifer Aniston has been bombarded with countless speculations about her personal life throughout her 35 years long career in the industry. From her relationship status to the secrets behind her fitness at 54, fans have numerous questions about the actress. However, little did anyone know that curiosity about her ethnicity would become a trending topic across the web. Many people have claimed Aniston to be of Jewish origin, which has given rise to a cascade of questions and intrigue. 

Aniston’s alleged Jewish heritage is not only limited to her real life. Her character from Friends, Rachel Green, has also been claimed to have Jewish roots. Amidst the widespread assertions, here is a fact check to uncover the truth about whether Aniston truly has Jewish ancestry.

The truth about the ancestry of Jennifer Aniston

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Jennifer Aniston has a varied ethnic background, but she mainly has European ancestors. The actress was born to John Aniston, who was Greek, or to be more precise, Cretan. Meanwhile, Aniston’s mother, Nancy Dow, had an ancestry that included English, Italian, Irish, and Scottish. However, both Jennifer Aniston’s parents spent most of their lives in America. Though Aniston’s character from Friends fit into the archetypal Jewish-American Princess trope, neither Rachel Green nor the actress herself has Jewish origins whatsoever. 

via Imago

The ethnicity of Jennifer Aniston can be best described as a European with Greek ancestry, though it is something that can not be guessed by her name. However, not many would know that Aniston was initially Joanna Anastasakis when she was born. Even Courtney Cox’s daughter Coco calls Aniston “Noona, which is a Greek word for godmother. Though Aniston is not Jewish, the actress does not tolerate any kind of hate towards them either. 

DIVE DEEPER

Courteney Cox Once Gushed Over Jennifer Aniston for Having “the biggest heart”

10 months ago

Jennifer Aniston allegedly liked a controversial post with Anti-Semitism, after which she set the records straight regarding her feelings toward the Jewish community. 

Aniston can not tolerate anti-Semitism

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

It all began when Jamie Foxx shared a controversial post that deeply hurt the sentiment of the Jewish community. Although he deleted the post shortly after receiving backlash, fans were quick to notice a like from Jennifer Aniston on the post. This triggered a lot of backlash for the Murder Mystery actress, who then took to her Instagram story to clarify the entire thing. Aniston claimed to have not liked the post “on purpose or by accident”.

via Imago

Aniston also added that she does not “support any form of antisemitism. Even Jamie Foxx took to social media to apologize for his controversial statement. The American comedian said that it was never his intention to hurt anyone’s sentiments. Fans adore Jennifer Aniston for her principled stance on what is right. And this love sometimes leads them to toss around these wild speculations, including her alleged Jewish ancestry, to uncover more about the actress.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

DIVE DEEPER

Jennifer Aniston Keeps Her Glamor Intact at 54 With a Simple Skincare Routine

10 months ago

What do you think about Jennifer Aniston’s real ancestry? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

ADVERTISEMENT

Hriddhi Maitra

898 articles

Hriddhi Maitra is a Hollywood News reporter at Netflix Junkie. An enthusiastic movie buff, Hriddhi found her true calling when she worked as a Cinema Content Writer at My Cinema Story while analyzing movies objectively, and offering constructive feedback. Coming from a background where she worked in different niches like finance, food, travel, medicines, automobile, and entertainment, we can safely say she is a jack of all trades.

ADVERTISEMENT

EDITORS' PICK