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Jennifer Aniston, 2002 | Source: Getty Images
Jennifer Aniston, 2002 | Source: Getty Images

Jennifer Aniston Cleaned Toilets for Money as a Kid: Famous Dad John Aniston Left Her & Mom at 9

Junie Sihlangu
Dec 28, 2022
02:15 P.M.

Jennifer Aniston was born and raised in a poor background where her parents initially never had any money. The actress did ordinary jobs as a child after her father suddenly left home.

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Jennifer Aniston was born in Los Angeles to a mother, Nancy Dow, who modeled and acted, and a father, John Aniston, who made door-to-door sales. The star's father struggled so much that he gave up acting and decided to attend medical school, but he didn't get admittance because he was too old.

The family moved to Greece for a year when Jennifer was five. However, one day, John's agent asked him to come back to the United States for an audition, and that's when he was cast for "Love of Life," and things were seemingly great with the family.

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Jennifer's father appeared in more roles after that, and in 1976 the family moved to New York. The actress' nine years older brother wanted to be in California, and at age 18, he moved to Los Angeles.

The star described John as a "gentle giant" and a nice man who was funny and shy. Jennifer recalled how fun her parents were when they got together, with her father being well-known later for his role on "Days of Our Lives."

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Jennifer never anticipated that her father would abandon the family, leaving her with a hard childhood. Things were so bad financially that she had to get an ordinary job to help support the family.

Becoming a Toilet Cleaner after Father Left Them

In a 1999 interview, Jennifer shared how her mother was loving, wise, warm, nurturing, old-fashioned, and funny. The star's parents demanded respect and had rules that her daughter sometimes wanted to shake her out of.

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The actress said she'd learned "love" from her parent about motherhood, and they had a great relationship despite Jennifer being a difficult child. Her parent's marriage fell apart when she was nine, and her mother was strained since it became just the two.

John's daughter discovered he'd left when she returned home from a birthday party, and her mother told her he was gone for a while. Jennifer, shocked and cried, recalled how her mother never said her father was gone forever.

The night and the following day went by in a blur. Another woman had caught John's interest, leading to his departure in November 1979; the next year, the actress and her mother have a conversation in the car where she was told:

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“Your father’s with someone else; he’s not coming back.”

The "Friends" star recalled that period as the most painful one in her life, and John eventually married the woman he'd cheated with. To have an allowance, Jennifer proudly worked as a toilet cleaner and was good at it. She admitted she always enjoyed where she worked.

However, according to the insider, Jennifer [Aniston] became the model daughter when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

She grew up poor but was "happy with her life" no matter how much she made. John's daughter also worked as a waitress, which she loved, and eventually evolved into an actress without changing much, except her bank balance.

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Jennifer Aniston in a scene from the film "The Good Girl" in 2002 | Source: Getty Images

Jennifer Aniston in a scene from the film "The Good Girl" in 2002 | Source: Getty Images

Although John left his family when his daughter was still a little girl, they ended up bonding later in life. The pair were so close that Jennifer was very concerned when the world experienced a pandemic.

Jennifer Called Her Father Constantly before His Death

It took a year after John left before he saw his daughter again. He asked if they could see "The Fantasticks," so they went for dinner and then saw the show, and after that, she began seeing him on weekends.

Jennifer Aniston and her father, John Aniston, at her Honoring with Star ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 22, 2012, in Hollywood, California | Source: Getty Images

Jennifer Aniston and her father, John Aniston, at her Honoring with Star ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 22, 2012, in Hollywood, California | Source: Getty Images

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The actress confessed that she met up with her father to please him; however, they made up. Although some parts were complex for Jennifer as an adult, she felt she couldn't continue blaming her parents.

A source once claimed that the actress went through periods where she didn't speak to her father. John was allegedly a proud man, and as an unemotional person, he couldn't understand his daughter's "volatile emotions."

Jennifer and John Aniston during her Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony in Hollywood, California, on February 22, 2012 | Source: Getty Images

Jennifer and John Aniston during her Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony in Hollywood, California, on February 22, 2012 | Source: Getty Images

However, according to the insider, Jennifer became the model daughter when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. John allegedly said she'd called him constantly to check up on him and had spoken more over the weeks than ever before.

When her father died in November 2022, the actress shared several throwback photos of them and called him her "sweet papa." Jennifer said he was a beautiful human and shared her gratitude for his peaceful and painless passing before vowing to love him forever.

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