Tate Donovan Was Jennifer Aniston's 'Perfect Man': Romance Rewind

Ross Geller doesn't care. For a few episodes of friendsit sounded like “Josh-oh-ah!” It might actually be one for Rachel. But in real life, Jennifer Aniston and Tate Donovanwho played her adorably oblivious, curly-haired love interest during the sitcom's fourth season, had already broken up. Let's take a look at Aniston's relationship with the actor, now 61, who seemed like he could be the one, just a few years ago. Brad Pitt He was at the scene of the accident.

How did you start?

In 1995, friends It quickly became the biggest TV show on the planet — but when Donovan was introduced to Aniston, now 55, through mutual friends, he had no idea who she was. “I've never seen friends!” He admitted in an interview with the people.

Once Donovan – then a working actor before becoming a well-known name himself when okay It began in 2003 – after noticing that he was dating Jennifer Aniston, he was reluctant to get into another high-profile romance after his four-year relationship with Sandra Bullock. “Literally, our second date, there were video cameras everywhere, and I was like, 'I'm out of here,'” he said.

A few weeks later, he changed his mind — well, it was the actual Jennifer Aniston, after all — and the pair started dating properly.

“On our first date, all we did was talk about our relationships,” Donovan said. TV guide In 1997, Aniston added: “We were like each other's mirrors.” There was one big difference, Aniston said in the same interview: “I'm a New York City girl, and he's a suburban Jersey boy.”

How long did it last?

The couple were in a relationship for more than two years, moved in together, and gave each other Irish commitment rings on their first anniversary in 1996.

Their biggest commitment? dog! On their first Valentine's Day together, Aniston returned to her friends The locker room, expecting to find her boyfriend – but instead was met with a much kinder sight. “I opened the door, and this little puppy stuck his head out with a ribbon!” Aniston said the people. The 9-week-old shepherd mix was named Enzo, and Aniston, a lifelong dog lover, was clearly thrilled.

But contrary to rumours, the couple was not engaged at all.

How did it end?

This is where things get awkward. In 1998, Donovan got the role of Joshua friends — just as his real-life relationship with Aniston was hitting the rocks.

“I had been dating Jane for years, and I knew the cast,” he said. The Independent In September 2024. “Every Friday night it was a ritual – I would go there and watch the recording, and it was always fun. Then Jane and I broke up, but we didn’t really tell anyone.”

Unfortunately for Donovan, that included the producers, who came up with a great story for the pair. “I mentioned to the producers that it's always funny that Jane, who is this amazing woman, is madly in love with someone and the guy doesn't see it,” he said. “It cracked me up. I saw it when we first started dating — she did an episode where Rachel was on a date with a guy and the guy wasn't into her, and she was falling over herself. It works because that's not how she is in life, but she can handle it well.” And so, the producers came to me and said, “Hey, we want you to do a five-episode story where you guys are dating and you're not really into her,” and I said, “Oh, so you're going to do this thing.” We were about to break up, and I thought, for a reason Strange, that work Together it might have softened the breakup and we might have become friends faster I just wanted to go quietly into that good night, we did it together.

It's no surprise that working together after having just broken up was painful for everyone involved. “It was very difficult,” he said. “Everyone has been so supportive, but it's been hard. It's like going to class when you're in high school and you've broken up with the girl you were sitting next to and… oh, it's hard. But it makes you a professional — it's like we've moved on The thing is, nobody knows; the audience won't know. The audience will think just the opposite. When I look back at it, I'm like, 'Wow, good for you, man.'

Related to: Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry touching quotes about each other

Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry weren't just on-screen friends. Aniston and Perry played Rachel Green and Chandler Bing, respectively, on the NBC sitcom for a decade. Aniston and Perry remained close after the show until his tragic death in October 2023. Perry died of an apparent drowning at the age of 54.

Donovan said one cast member in particular was a great source of emotional support at the time: the late Matthew Perry. “He was a hero to me,” Donovan recalls. He was very nice. He was the only person who called me when I broke up with Jane. We've met each other over the years, and he's always been incredibly supportive. It meant a lot to me because I was really sad, and you don't know how good you are, and you're just trying to survive at that point.

Donovan also spoke about his experience at Interview with Us Weekly in 2018. “It was only six episodes,” he said. “I mean, just because we were apart. We were like, 'Hey, can't we just keep doing this?' Because it's really painful and hard. People who know we've dated think we met on friends. But we actually dated for two years before that, and it ended It's when we were on Friends together.

Ultimately, the traumatic experience gave Donovan a lot of confidence in his career. “If you can go through a tough breakup and still do your job, you're a professional,” he said. “It was good. It was ultimately a really nice experience of how people treat you really well, and you still do your job even though you're dying inside.”

In a 1999 interview with Rolling StoneAniston shot down rumors that her huge success was a factor in their breakup — possibly due to their 1997 breakup. TV guide chat in which Donovan notes that she is “richer” than him. “That wasn't actually the reason we broke up,” she said. “My breakup with Tate had nothing to do with ego battles, or wanting children, or not wanting to get married — all of that stuff. None of it was subtle.

What did they say about each other?

In recent years, Aniston has been very private about her relationships, but in her 20s, she was more open about her feelings. “He's so real, so honest, so funny, so kind and considerate,” she said. the people In 1997, at a time when the couple was looking for a house together. “He brings all of these things into one perfect man.”

In the same interview, the couple hinted that they have plans to get married. “I definitely want to get married; “She definitely wants to get married,” Donovan said. “There are no proposals or anything yet, but we are definitely thinking about it.” Aniston was a bit more shy, saying: “You have to take your time getting to know someone.”

in TV guide In the same year, the couple was equally cute together. “She is the most unbelievably gorgeous actress!” Donovan said. “I was going to say ‘thing that has ever happened to me,’ but I was just trying to make it objective.” When Aniston said she didn't want to discuss their relationship, he joked: “I think I'm unabashedly in love with her!”

However, Aniston confirmed that she is very happy with Donovan. “I like good guys,” she said. “Tate's a good guy. I've been lucky that way. In high school, I went out with a guy who was mysterious and weird but would be nice when he was with me. I thought I'd be able to change him. And if I'm the only woman who can do that, how cool are you? But that's it.” “It never happened.”

She added: “I'm definitely happy, I have to say that. Yes, I'm the happiest now.”

What do they say now?

In his 2024 interview with The IndependentDonovan said he is now — finally — able to watch those previously tormenting episodes of Friends. “I was flipping through the channels in a hotel recently and I was like, 'Oh my God, there's Joshua,'” he said. “I watched a bit of it and thought it was really good and funny – for many years it was very painful for me to watch those scenes.”

And in a hilarious way 2020 pieces in interview magazinewhere Aniston was questioned Sandra BullockThe couple talked about how they actually became friends through their ex-partner. “Introduced by our former friend!” Bullock said. “I say ‘our’ because you and I shared this one human being.” “Yes, we did. That's a nice way to say it. We both participated in Tate,” Aniston confirmed. “The actor seems to have a kind of gift. Funny. Compassionate. Introspective. Generous,” Bullock noted. Aniston added that the two star actresses were also fans of architecture and interior design.

Related to: Dating history of the 'Friends' cast over the years

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, and other stars have had their fair share of high-profile romances since the sitcom catapulted their careers. In 1995, one year after the NBC series premiered, actress Aniston began dating Tate Donovan. The couple separated after three years, and while they were working on their separation, they had a romantic relationship (…)

So, Aniston found a great friend through Donovan — but his main memory of the relationship is how crazy famous Aniston was at the time, especially when they traveled together. “The English in general are obsessed with friends,” he said. The Independent In 2024. “It amazes me. Jane and I dated for two years, and when we went to England together, it was like being with the Beatles. We had to say we had reservations at one restaurant and then go to another restaurant.

Fast food key relationship

More than five years her senior (he was 35 when they split, she was 29) and open about his dreams of marriage, Donovan was likely more ready to settle down than Aniston. Is it the one that got away or the one before the one? Because the same year they broke up — 1998 — Aniston started dating Pitt, and we all know how that relationship ended.

Meanwhile, Donovan took some time to find love again, and this time he followed his instinct to avoid another first-class relationship. He married a writer Corinne Kingsbury In 2005, but they separated three years later. Then he got married Corey Sherman In 2015, the couple has been together for a decade and has a family.

I finish friendsRachel and Joshua weren't meant to be, but in 2018 we In the interview, Donovan said he was confident his alter ego was enjoying life. “Joshua is happily married with an 18-year-old child who is about to go to university,” he said. “He's doing well. He's doing good.”