Jennifer Aniston addressed the “trauma” she experienced during her childhood, being forced to perform belly dancing routines in front of her friends and family.
The Just Go With It actress, 55, revealed that her family used to make her belly dance — something she confirmed with a surprising “yes” when asked by Jimmy Kimmel during an appearance on his show on Wednesday, October 2.
“Any time, not just Christmas Eve,” Jennifer replied. “You know. The Greeks love any kind of a family dinner, they would say, ‘Let’s get up and watch’ – it’s like when you say to your child, ‘Play piano for everyone, let’s sing for everyone.”‘
The Friends alum grew up in Thousand Oaks, California, and is the daughter of John Aniston, a well-known soap opera actor, and Nancy Dow. She mentioned that she feels “anxiety” when her friends do similar things and push their children to perform.
“I have inner trauma from having to perform and belly dance in front of my Greek aunts and uncles and grandmothers,” she continued. “My dad’s side of the family is Greek, so I would dress up as a little Greek girl, and then on Christmas, after taking belly-dancing classes, I would do that.”
The actress said the belly dancing “had nothing to do with Christmas,” adding, “It was just, ‘Let’s humiliate Jen on Christmas.’”
Jennifer recently made headlines on September 20 after being the latest star in Hollywood to be “swatted” at her $21 million Bel Air, California, mansion. The sitcom actress was awoken by the Los Angeles Police Department after an anonymous caller claimed she was threatening suicide.
Swatting is “the action or practice of making a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address,” according to the Oxford Dictionary.
The California native was never mentioned by name, however, the caller referred to a friend who was “not doing well” and hinted at “seeing him on the other side,” according to TMZ. The caller then asked authorities to perform a welfare check, providing only the address while keeping their identity concealed.
LAPD arrived at Jennifer’s 8,500-square-foot home shortly after midnight and was met by security, who were surprised by their presence. It was only then, that authorities realized they were at the Horrible Bosses star’s home, where she assured them that “everything was OK and that she had no self-harm intentions.”
The police informed the outlet that they have documented the location of Jennifer’s home and will consult with security to prevent a similar incident during any future welfare checks. They are also continuing to investigate the situation, treating the call as a swatting incident. Similar incidents have occurred with other A-list celebrities, such as Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, and Justin Bieber.
