When Brad Pitt showed up to ex Jennifer Aniston’s 50th birthday party last weekend, fans of the former couple naturally all asked the same question: Are they getting back together?
According to several new reports, the answer is “no”: As far as they’re concerned, they’re just two old friends reconnecting after many years.
Pitt was the first to reach out after Aniston’s mother, Nancy Dow, passed away in May 2016, and the former “Friends” actress was pleasantly surprised by his correspondence.
“Brad contacted Jen after her mom died, and she was touched that he knew what a difficult time it was,” an insider told Us Weekly.
Since then, the pair has been known to occasionally chat back-and-forth in private, so his appearance at her birthday party shouldn’t have come as a surprise to those closest to them.
“They have each other’s cell phone number and communicate from time to time,” the source said. “This is nothing new. Jen and [Brad] have remained friendly.”
Both of their relatively recent breakups also helped establish a renewed connection between them: Pitt and Angelina Jolie announced their split in September 2016, while Aniston separated from Justin Theroux last February. So, when Pitt received an invitation to Aniston’s milestone birthday party weeks ago, he decided he would attend.
“Brad wanted to support and celebrate Jen by attending her birthday party,” an insider told Us.
Once he arrived at the Sunset Tower Hotel, Pitt was very careful not to be photographed walking in and out of the Los Angeles hotspot, working with security to navigate his entrance and exit.
“Brad seemed very hesitant [at first] — all eyes were on him,” a source told Us Weekly. Another eye-witness told Entertainment Tonight that Pitt briefly interacted with Aniston, exchanging a hug and talking for a few minutes before he socialized with other friends at the star-studded party.
“He came to support her, spoke to other friends of his that were there and headed out,” the witness said.
But not before other guests noticed his presence, resulting in a subtle frenzy.
“Guests were surprised to see him there and were making a big deal of it,” a source said. “But it didn’t seem like that big of a deal to Jen. She was happy he was there, but that was it. She was busy making the rounds and excited to see so many people near and dear to her.”
Though they didn’t get to talk for very long at her birthday, Aniston did “call him the day after the party to thank him for coming. She wanted to know if he had a good time.”
