Us Weekly’s cover story this week is so very random. I understand the thought process, but it’s still just… weird. With all the things happening in the gossip world – and I get that we’re having a dull gossip summer, but still – you’d think that Us Weekly could do better than this. What is “this”? A story about how Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock have so much in common and that’s why they’ve become friends. That’s it. And even though this story is basic AF, I still don’t really believe it.

In a town filled with fair-weather friends, Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Aniston are the real deal, come rain or shine! The A-listers became close about five years ago, multiple insiders reveal to Us Weekly.

“They’d known each other from the industry,” a source tells Us. They both dated actor Tate Donovan in the ’90s and enjoyed the title of “America’s Sweetheart” after a string of rom-com hits, including one each with Ben Affleck as their leading man (1999’s Forces of Nature for Bullock, 2009’s He’s Just Not That Into You for Aniston).

Us previously reported that the friendship was sparked during a dinner party at the home of one of Affleck’s exes — Gwyneth Paltrow. Says the Aniston insider, “They got to talking and everything just really clicked.” It didn’t take long for them to discover “they had similar outlooks on life and the same dry sense of humor. They bonded over where they were in life and what it was like to be a woman in Hollywood.”

Things have only grown from there. Now, the Speed actress, 54, and the Friends star, 50, “talk or text frequently and go out to dinner a lot,” notes the Aniston insider, “and often invite each other over for parties and low-key get-togethers.”

[From Us Weekly]

They make it sound like Sandra and Jen are secretly dating or something. For what it’s worth, Sandra is still dating Bryan Randall, the same guy she’s been with since 2015. They’re very low-key so I don’t know for sure if they’re still together. But if you wanted to make-believe a story where Sandy and Jen were done with men and then started to date each other, I would believe that more than “they’re new BFFs now!”

I bet this story started as a “what’s Jen up to these days?” story. And they couldn’t find a dude to “put” with her because Jennifer really hasn’t been rumored with any guy in a few years (minus her handsome personal trainer, but I don’t think she’s banging him). So it became a story about Jennifer’s lady friendships. Also: I would hate it if Sandy was the replacement friend after Chelsea Handler’s exit from the group.

Photos courtesy of WENN.