Jennifer Aniston Didn't Know BFF Reese Witherspoon's Real Name Until Now

Witherspoon dropped a surprise

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Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon have been close friends for over two decades, but there is one piece of information Aniston didn’t know about her bestie.

In a recent joint interview with LADbible, Witherspoon made the surprising revelation that her real name isn’t actually Reese, but instead Laura, something Aniston didn’t know. “I'm Laura Jean…That's my real name,” she told Aniston, who was visibly shocked. “What made you go with Reese for your acting name?” she asked her friend, who then explained that she didn’t change her name, as it’s her mother, Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Witherspoon's maiden name.

As it turns out, Reese is actually Witherspoon’s middle name. “It's my middle name,” she explained, adding, “I'm Laura Jean Reese.” This surprise made Aniston want to share her middle name, which is Joanna. “I was today years old,” Reese responded, before asking Aniston if anybody ever calls her “J.J.” for short.

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Chance Yeh/Getty Images

“Well, I do now,” Reese quipped when learning that nobody else uses that nickname for Aniston, making this another fun exchange between the two co-stars, who are currently on the promotional cycle for season four of their wildly popular series The Morning Show, which premiered on September 17.

Over the years, the show has received several noteworthy nominations, including 16 Emmy Award nominations for its third season. Aniston also earned a SAG Award for ‘Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series’ for her performance in season two.

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Apple TV+

Of the season four premiere, Philip Mutz, PureWow’s VP of news and entertainment, wrote, “The season four premiere is quite good, delivering everything I could hope for: solid answers after the chaotic conclusion to season three, the return of our favorites (and the departure of our villains—buh-bye, Jon Hamm), totally expected screaming matches between Alex and Bradley over wine and, most importantly, twists.”

You can stream The Morning Show on Apple TV+.

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