Gwyneth Paltrow’s reaction to Brad Pitt’s marriage to Jennifer Aniston in 2000 was far from what fans might expect, as revealed in Amy Odell’s Gwyneth: The Biography. In the months following their wedding, Paltrow reportedly expressed her true feelings only to close friends, even though she initially kept a composed front in public.
In September 2000, at the Toronto Film Festival, a reporter asked the Shakespeare in Love actress about Pitt’s recent marriage to Aniston, which had taken place in July that year. Paltrow’s response was sharp: “Are you really asking me this question?” she reportedly said, her eyes reportedly full of intensity. “I can’t comment on this kind of thing,” she added, according to an excerpt from the book, as quoted by Us Weekly.
However, behind closed doors, the actress did not hold back. Paltrow allegedly confided in her friends that she felt “sad” upon hearing the news of Pitt’s marriage. Sources claim she would often remark that Brad “has terrible taste in women.”
Later that year, Paltrow seemed to further voice her disdain for her ex’s choices. During a business dinner with Aerin Lauder, the Estée Lauder heiress, Paltrow reportedly expressed her thoughts about Pitt, claiming, “He’s dumber than a sack of s**t,” according to the biography.
Paltrow and Pitt had a relationship that began in 1994 after meeting on the set of Se7en. However, their romance had its complications. While filming Emma, Paltrow began to have doubts about their compatibility, sharing with a crew member that she had a crush on Hugh Grant. “Brad and I had very different upbringings,” she once said in an interview, elaborating on their differences. “So when we go to restaurants and order caviar, I have to say to Brad, ‘This is beluga and this is osetra.'”
The couple got engaged in 1996 but broke up the following year, with Paltrow and Pitt never publicly explaining the reasons for their separation. After their breakup, Pitt began dating Jennifer Aniston, and the two married in a highly publicized ceremony in Malibu on July 29, 2000. Their marriage lasted five years, ending after Pitt’s relationship with Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-star Angelina Jolie became public.
Following Pitt, Paltrow briefly dated actor Ben Affleck, whose struggles with alcoholism and gambling were reportedly a factor in their relationship’s end after just over a year.
