How Jennifer Aniston’s pal Courteney Cox plotted her reunion with ex Brad Pitt and gave him her number
THEY played best pals Monica and Rachel in Friends - but Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox are there for each other off screen too.
And now, as Courteney, 55, proves she's Brad and Jen's biggest supporter by about their reunion, we can reveal she's actually the reason they got back in touch in the first place.
A source tells the Sun Online: "Last week Courteney was liking loads of comments on social media related to Brad and Jen still being in love and Courteney would love nothing more than to see her best friend reunite with the man she’s never stopped loving.
"After all, it was in many ways because of Courteney that they reunited, she is the reason they started speaking again after their split.”
Fans first spotted Courteney getting like-happy on social media just hours after divorced couple Brad, 56, and Jen, 50, were pictured embracing backstage at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Screenshots showed Courteney liking several photos of the sweet reunion on Instagram, before going on to like a tweet which read: "They still love each other, no doubt."
It's no surprise she was delighted by the photos, as Courteney was reportedly instrumental in the former couple's reunion from the very start.
Our source says: "Nobody knows Jen better than Courteney - those two have been through every high and low together and are fiercely protective of one another.
"Jen confides in Courteney about everything, she often doesn’t have to even say how she’s feeling because Courteney just senses what’s on her mind.
“Jen has never hidden how broken she was when Brad left her and moved on with Angelina, and Courteney was there for every tear and felt all her pain with her.
"But she was also aware some wounds hadn’t completely healed and Jen missed Brad’s friendship the most. So she’d never do anything that was going to hurt her.”
So just how did Courteney bring about the reunion the world has been waiting for?
'Jen missed his friendship'
Courteney is said to have taken her chance to get Brad and Jen back in touch with each other after spotting the Fight Club actor at ROCK4BE! in Malibu in January 2017, while Jen was still happily married to Justin Theroux.
"When Courteney bumped into Brad at [the] charity music gig in LA she took her chance to try to heal some of the wounds," our source says.
"Courteney isn’t one to go in all guns blazing, she’s gentle and fun so when she saw Brad they caught up and reminisced a little about old times.
“It was only natural that talk would turn to Jen and when Brad asked how she was, Courteney told him that she was in a really good place and happy with then husband Justin.
"But she said, one thing that Jen misses most about Brad is their friendship, how they were such a good match of personalities.
"Brad agreed with this and it was then that Courteney took the plunge and told Brad that if he wanted to reach out to Jen and talk to her, then she thought she’d be really open to this.
"So Courteney gave [him] Jen’s latest phone number and it was real baby steps from there.”
The source adds: “With Courteney giving Brad the green light and not holding onto any animosity, despite being the protective best friend, Brad had the confidence to get in touch again.
"He had the perfect reason too, mentioning how he caught up with Courteney at this event.
"At first it was a few messages every couple of weeks but things grew from there and a friendship started to build.”
Friends through thick and thin
Courteney's support for her friend goes back years, as she was right by Jen's side through her painful split from Brad in 2005.
While Brad and Jen released a joint statement at the time, insisting their decision to part ways was nothing to do with speculation over his growing bond with Mr and Mrs Smith co-star Angelina Jolie, 44, he went on to start dating Ang shortly after.
The couple announced they were expecting their first baby together in January 2006 and later tied the knot.
Sadly, as they enjoyed their romance in the spotlight, it meant Jen was front and centre too as her heartbreak played out in the headlines for years to come.
Courteney was there for the actress throughout, with the pair often pictured on outings together.
Speaking about her Friends pal at the time, Jen described her as "extremely fair, ridiculously loyal and fiercely loving" in an interview with More magazine in 2014.
That support worked both ways however, as Jen later returned the favour and ensured she was there for Courteney when she announced her split from husband David Arquette in October 2010.
It's fair to say they've been through their fair share of heartbreak, but despite her loyalty and support for Jen through Brad's new relationship with Angelina, Courteney has managed to remain level-headed and knew above all else, building a friendship back up between Brad and Jen was essential to her friend's happiness.
Slowly building back bridges
It proved a slow-burner for Brad and Jen at first, with the pair rumoured to have had a tearful heart to heart in September 2017 - months after Courteney orchestrated them getting back in touch.
A source told at the time that Brad finally apologised to his ex-wife for moving on with Angelina so fast after their split - as well as all the pain he put her through.
“He’s been determined to apologise for everything, and that’s exactly what he did," the source claimed.
“It was the most intimate conversation Brad and Jen have ever had.”
They only publicly acknowledged they were back in touch in February last year however, when Brad attended his ex's birthday party.
Speaking to The Sun at the time, a friend explained: "Brad coming along to a huge event like that was a public move, but he doesn’t care what people think – he and Jen are friends, they support each other and their relationship has come a long way since their divorce, and even since his split from Angelina."
Just a month later, Cupid herself Courteney fuelled rumours she supported a new romance between the pair when she made a quick getaway after being asked directly about the prospect of a Brad and Jen reunion at the Hollywood For Science Gala in LA.
Courteney was asked if her best pal was hooking up with the heartthrob after he attended her 50th birthday party.
Flashing a cheeky smile, she simply said at the time: "We gotta go," before being whisked away.
'Jen is no pushover'
After Brad and Jen's subsequent failed marriages - Brad split from Angelina in 2016 while Jen split from her second husband Justin in 2018 - Jen ensured she took her time in building back their bond.
Our source explains: "Jen is no pushover, it’s not as if she jumped straight back into Brad’s arms and all was forgiven.
"It’s more that she’s so raw and so honest with her emotions that she cried it all out at the beginning... She was in a good place in her marriage to Justin [at the time] so there was no need for all the negativity in her life anymore.
“That’s the thing about Jen, she’s so open and will say when she’s hurt and angry so that people know where they stand.
"But she’s also a good person and that’s why she’s mates with so many of her exes, because in break-ups she tells them how she feels, doesn’t play games, wears her heart on her sleeve. And she is always forgiving.”
“She knew Brad had a rough couple of years and then the split with Ang, really she was happy to be a pal to him.
"It’s not in her nature to see the person she used to love so unhappy. At first she was surprised he wanted to be in contact, but she was happy. She told Justin about it who was also chilled about it as he was happy Jen could also let go of the past.”
Our source adds: “It’s amazing really, Jen’s heart was ripped to pieces and while she was over it (after over a decade) when he split with Ang, it takes a lot to move on from that.
"But that’s just who she is. And in a way, that’s what made Brad fall in love with her all over again."
Love on the cards at last?
Brad and Jen reportedly enjoyed a series of secret dates prior to their public reunion at the SAG Awards this month, including a secret tryst at Jen’s Bel Air Mansion over the Christmas holiday, according to .
A source close to told the website: “I , even though he broke her heart when he left her for Angelina Jolie.
“It has taken a long time but she has forgiven him for everything – forgiveness has been a big part of them moving on.”
Now, our source says: “What you see now, at the awards etc isn’t just for cameras - this was three years in the making.
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"Courteney gave them both the gentle push they needed to reconnect and build back the foundations of their friendship step by step.
"And seeing things blossom into where they are now makes Courteney swell because despite the past and how much Jen got hurt, she’s thrilled to see her back with Brad because even now, after all these years they really are the perfect match.”
The Sun has contacted reps for Courteney and Jennifer. Brad's rep declined to comment.