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9
Jennifer Aniston’s Hilarious Reaction After Learning Reese Witherspoon’s Real Name Goes Viral
Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon go way back. The duo have been close friends for decades, playing sisters in Friends and now co-starring in The Morning Show.
However, after 25 years, Jennifer has only just learned that her friend’s real name isn’t Reese.
The actresses recently put their friendship to the test in LADbible’s game of “Do You Even Know Me?” where they were quizzed about each other’s lives.
Highlights
- Jennifer Aniston was stunned to learn Reese Witherspoon's real first name isn't actually Reese.
- Reese Witherspoon has gone by ‘Reese’ since she made her acting debut at age seven.
- The co-stars and friends quizzed each other on their first jobs, viral moments, and 'Friends' characters.
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Jennifer Aniston learned something new about her friend and co-star Reese Witherspoon after two decades
Image credits: LADbible Entertainment
The quiz included questions about Jennifer’s haunted first apartment in Los Angeles, the answer to which she admitted she didn’t even remember herself, and Reese going viral for singing a Sabrina Carpenter song with the wrong lyrics.
Reese was also asked how long her friend had lasted during her first job as a bike messenger in New York (a whole day), before the Legally Blonde star asked Jennifer the “tricky” question about her real middle name.
Image credits: Getty/Kevin Mazur
When asked to guess it, Jennifer confidently answered: “Jane.”
Reese then revealed the correct answer, which made her friend’s jaw drop.
“That’s confusing. I’m Laura Jeanne,” the Oscar winner said.
Jennifer asked, “Laura Jeanne!?”
Reese confirmed she had heard it correctly. “That’s my real name, yeah.”
Stunned by the revelation, Jennifer blurted out, “What, who the hell’s Laura!? I’m not calling you that from now on. Come on, Laura Jeanne.”
The actresses played sisters in Friends and now co-star in The Morning Show
Image credits: LADbible Entertainment
Image credits: LADbible Entertainment
Jennifer asked her friend where “Reese” came from, and Reese clarified that it was her middle name, and that her full name is actually Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon.
“Like Norma Jeane?” asked Jennifer, referring to Marylin Monroe’s real name. “Laura Jeanne Reese.”
Still digesting the news, the We’re the Millers star asked, “What made you go with Reese for your acting name?”
The 49-year-old has been going by Reese since she made her acting debut in a florist commercial at just seven years old.
The friends recently quizzed each other for a segment called “Do You Even Know Me?”
Image credits: Getty/Michael Kovac
“I didn’t change it; my name was just always Reese,” she said.
Fans were equally surprised by the news. One social media user wrote, “Ok so I always thought Reese Witherspoon was her two family names put together. Like Laura Jean Reese-Witherspoon.”
“Jen’s reaction to Laura Jean is priceless. Like she couldn’t believe it,” shared someone else.
“Love Jennifer Anniston! She’s just so funny!!” a separate fan added.
Image credits: LADbible Entertainment
After the funny moment, Reese admitted that she didn’t know Jennifer’s middle name either, which is “Joanna.”
“What?… I was today years old,” said a stunned Reese. “Jennifer Joanna. Does anybody call you JJ? Well, I do now.”
Then, the friends and co-stars sparked nostalgia when they quizzed each other about their Friends characters.
“In Friends, how did Rachel ruin the British trifle?” asked Jennifer. “A: By slamming it into Ross’ face. B: By losing a nail in it. C: By adding minced beef, peas, and onions.”
Of course, Reese remembered the unappetizing Thanksgiving dish and the moment Rachel accidentally combined a trifle recipe with one for cottage pie after the pages of her cookbook stuck together. She gave the correct answer, which was C.
Reese then asked her co-star, “Which of these facts about my character, Jill Green, is true? A: She’s allergic to cats. B: She’s lactose intolerant. C: She briefly dated Gunther.” Jennifer correctly answered B.
Reese played Jennifer’s character Rachel Green’s younger sister in two episodes of Friends season six in 2000. The actress previously described filming the hit sitcom as one of her “scariest moments ever.”
“It was in front of a live audience and I’d never really done theater,” she told People. “I’d never been in front of a live audience, and I was just blown away by how that cast pivoted so quickly with their jokes.”
At one point, Reese asked Jennifer to guess her middle name, and her co-star gave the wrong answer
Image credits: Instagram/jenniferaniston
Image credits: Instagram/jenniferaniston
She recalled the Friends stars making her feel very welcome on set and even asking to hold Ava, her daughter with actor Ryan Phillippe, who was a baby at the time.
“I was the kid on set – I think I was 22, and of course Jen was just the sweetest to me. I had just had a baby and I remember her and Courteney (Cox) running to my dressing room and going, ‘Can we see the baby? You have a baby? Can we hold the baby?’”
Fast forward to 2019, when Reese began starring in and executive producing the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show alongside Jennifer and Steve Carrell.
Reese didn’t know Jennifer’s middle name, either
Image credits: Apple TV
Her role as news anchor Bradley Jackson earned Reese a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.
The drama, which examines the culture behind a network broadcast morning news program, earned Jennifer a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series.
Social media users reacted to the duo’s funny interaction and full name reveals
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What do you think ?
Laserleader 2 months ago
I have lots of lifelong friends that I have no clue of their last names, let alone their middle name. I forget my own middle name most days. So I would think this is normal. You meet people and are given nicknames, and the only reason to be told a full name is if you have to record it down for some reason.
BeesEelsAndPups 2 months ago
None of my American friends can pronounce my name so I don't tell people anymore. My first name is enough.
Load More Replies...
Mel in Georgia 2 months ago
It's a common Southern (US) tradition for people to go by their middle names. Why? I have no idea, but I do know several people who do!
Apatheist Account2 2 months ago
It's common in parts of Asia for people to use the second part of a hyphenated first name, eg Jean-Paul (I know it's not Asian) would be called Paul. Hence naming the pandas as Ling-Ling, then no-one gets confused :)
Load More Replies...
Nikki Spears Gross 2 months ago
Nikki is the nickname that EVERYONE calls me and NOT my real name. The ONLY person that has every used my first real name is my Mom and that was if I was in trouble. First and middle name meant I was in deepshit. My ENTIRE name was if Mom was fixin' to have a "Come to Jesus" talk with me and I better run far, far away! We use a lot of middle and nicknames, because there are multiple James and Richard's which is a family name, so we can tell each other apart.
Laserleader 2 months ago
I have lots of lifelong friends that I have no clue of their last names, let alone their middle name. I forget my own middle name most days. So I would think this is normal. You meet people and are given nicknames, and the only reason to be told a full name is if you have to record it down for some reason.
BeesEelsAndPups 2 months ago
None of my American friends can pronounce my name so I don't tell people anymore. My first name is enough.
Load More Replies... Mel in Georgia 2 months ago
It's a common Southern (US) tradition for people to go by their middle names. Why? I have no idea, but I do know several people who do!
Apatheist Account2 2 months ago
It's common in parts of Asia for people to use the second part of a hyphenated first name, eg Jean-Paul (I know it's not Asian) would be called Paul. Hence naming the pandas as Ling-Ling, then no-one gets confused :)
Load More Replies... Nikki Spears Gross 2 months ago
Nikki is the nickname that EVERYONE calls me and NOT my real name. The ONLY person that has every used my first real name is my Mom and that was if I was in trouble. First and middle name meant I was in deepshit. My ENTIRE name was if Mom was fixin' to have a "Come to Jesus" talk with me and I better run far, far away! We use a lot of middle and nicknames, because there are multiple James and Richard's which is a family name, so we can tell each other apart.
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