Jennifer Aniston is facing backlash following comments she made about the ways internet stars find fame in modern society, with angry fans accusing the star of trying to ‘gatekeep’ the Hollywood elite.
The Friends star, 53, caused controversy with the comments she made during a sit down interview with Pam & Tommy star Sebastian Stan, 39, during which she reflected on the way the likes of Paris Hilton and Monica Lewinsky’s fame was shaped by the rise of internet culture.
In a segment of the Actors on Actors interview for Variety, the pair had been discussing the infamous Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee sex tape leak in 1995 which Stan’s Hulu series was based upon, leading Aniston to discuss internet culture at the time.
Aniston began to comment on how the leak took place at a period when the internet began to influence society as she stated: ‘It was right at the time when the internet really shaped a new culture about people becoming famous.
‘This thing of people becoming famous for basically doing nothing but yet having these incredible careers. And then women’s reputation… I mean — Paris Hilton, Monica Lewinsky, all those.’
Lewinsky was involved in a sex scandal with then-President Bill Clinton in 1998 after his two-year sexual relationship with the 24-year-old White House intern came to light, while Paris Hilton’s private sex tape featuring herself and then-boyfriend Rick Salomon was leaked onto the internet in 2004.
Stan replied: ‘When you look back at the ’90s, you do see how many things have happened in that decade. Even the O.J. Simpson thing was actually the beginning of 24-hour news.’
His comment led the Horrible Bosses star to add: ‘I feel so lucky that we got a little taste of the industry before it became what it is today… More streaming services — you’re famous from TikTok, you’re famous from YouTube, you’re famous from Instagram. It’s almost, like, it’s diluting the actor’s job.’
