Is Jennifer Aniston trying to block Angelina Jolie from an Oscar nom for ‘Maria’?

Pablo Larrain’s latest “iconic woman” bio-pic is Maria, where Angelina Jolie plays the opera singer Maria Callas. Many critics loved the film in Venice, Telluride and the New York Film Festival. The festival circuit isn’t over, and Angelina will likely still be hustling and promoting this film for the next three months. Larrain’s previous leading ladies – Natalie Portman and Kristen Stewart – both received Best Actress Oscar nominations for their respective films (Jackie and Spencer). It’s widely believed that Angelina will, at the very least, also get nominated. That would be a win: a Best Actress nomination. But does Angelina have that kind of support in Hollywood these days?

Jolie’s last Oscar nomination came in 2008-09, for The Changeling. I would argue that Jolie’s profile was more “controversial” back then, although she had the backing of Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood (and that went a long way). That being said, in 2013, the Academy gave Angelina the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, an honorary Oscar. She also already won an Oscar for supporting actress. My point is that Angelina is already really accepted and well-liked within Hollywood and the Academy voting blocs, no matter what’s going on with her personal life. Well, according to In Touch Weekly, the Uncool Bermuda Triangle is about to rear its ugly head once again during the Oscar season.

Jennifer Aniston is pouring cold water on Angelina Jolie’s Oscar chances in any way she can and a source exclusively tells In Touch she’s enlisted close friend Sandra Bullock to further twist the knife.

“Sandra definitely has a history with Angie and there are certainly people in Angie’s camp who think Sandra’s signature role in Gravity should have gone to Angelina, since that was a project Angelina was very interested in starring in herself before Sandra landed the part,” the source says.

“And of course, in the years since Angelina and Brad Pitt broke up, Sandra has formed a powerful alliance with Brad on two hit movies: The Lost City and Bullet Train.”

Angelina, 49, is in the midst of a messy, decade-long divorce from Brad, 60, which has forced many in the industry to pick a side as battle lines are drawn.

“It’s not really a mystery where Sandra’s loyalty is and her friendship with Jen plugs both of them into a powerful network of awards voters – this is the same crew that got Andrea Riseborough an Oscar nomination out of nowhere, and it’s a lot easier for them to make sure somebody doesn’t get nominated.”

[From In Touch Weekly]

True story: Jennifer Aniston is legitimately powerful and well-connected within a certain elite Hollywood set… and it still didn’t get her an Oscar nomination. Aniston rather boldly tried to buy her way into an Oscar nom for Cake and it didn’t work. But now she’s so powerful that she can convince her friends (like Sandra Bullock??) to block Jolie? And that stale, false tea about Gravity – back in the day, a dozen different actresses were attached to that role, and if I remember correctly, Jolie passed on it… which ensured that Sandra got the part and got nominated for an Oscar. I remember that there were zero hard feelings too. Anyway, the larger story is that Angelina is probably going to play the game a bit and call on some of her friends to host events and screenings. She actually knows how to play the game, even if she rarely does so.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.

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57 Responses to “Is Jennifer Aniston trying to block Angelina Jolie from an Oscar nom for ‘Maria’?”

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  1. Jais says:

    I think intouch made up this story. JA is not out there recruiting a campaign against AJ. I’m excited to see AJ campaigning for her work though.

    • Pink tutu says:

      I don’t think JA would care. IMHO This story ISNT about JA, it’s about Brad attempting to block AJ. We know tabloids play opposites, so?

      • MY3CENTS says:

        If anyone is petty enough it would be Brad.
        They’re too scared to call it what is , much easier to blame it on a woman.

    • Teddy says:

      @jais – agree 100 percent. The story is toxic nonsense. I mean, consider the source.

      • Sunshile says:

        “false tea about Gravity – back in the day, a dozen different actresses were attached to that role, and if I remember correctly, Jolie passed on it… which ensured that Sandra got the part and got nominated for an Oscar. ”

        Exactly Kaiser, Angelina turned down Gravity twice, there are articles from deadline about it and even Cuaron talked about it

    • SamuelWhiskers says:

      Yeah, it’s obviously a fake story. I highly doubt either women have given the other a passing thought in years. It’s just terminally online types keeping this tabloid ‘feud’ alive. (Like most tabloid feuds.)

      • Josephine says:

        I tend to agree but have some lingering worry given that I did believe back in the day that it was Aniston who encouraged Handler’s racist tirade toward AJ AND her kids. idk, I like to think the best of women, but Aniston has always struck me as a bit of a mean girl and someone a little stuck at an immature stage. But I’m very willing to be wrong about that and my worry is just a little one.

  2. Becks1 says:

    Do I think there’s a lot of behind the scenes string-pulling when it comes to oscar nominations, and that the nominations (and often the wins) aren’t always about the best performance? Yes.

    Do I think Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock are so invested in hating Angelina that they ‘re going to try to block her nomination? Not really (note this article is more about Sandra than Jen.) It seems to me that 2008-2009 would have been more peak “Jen tries to block Angelina” – I honestly think at this point if anyone is invested in blocking Angelina’s nomination as a way to support Pitt, its going to be someone like Clooney or Tarantino.

    but also sandra did not win for Gravity. I think she still has “just” one Oscar.

  3. chatter says:

    Oh stop it.
    JA has moved on long ago.
    AJ has divorced Brad and we know why.
    Jen famously said “Brad is missing a sensitivity chip” and that is correct in how he betrayed her.

    JA and AJ are both wealthy and fine with Brad Pitt.
    Brad was no prize!

    • UpIn Toronto says:

      This. The celebrity press will not let the Team Aniston v Team Jolie thing die. They just keep regurgitating this nothing burger

  4. Agatha says:

    Well there is one sad sack dirtbag who might be happy to try to block Angelina, and his name rhymes with Shmad Schmitt. And I bet the founding kernel of truth in this story is that his people are going to work on this. Don’t forget about karma, losers.

    And it would be just like them to try to hang it on two women.

    • Pandee says:

      @agatha 100% agree — this has Pitt’s team’s “deflect and deny” written all over it.

    • Christine says:

      This. He is exactly this terrible. He still longs for the days when both of these women wanted him, and how better to fuck with Angelina than by resurrecting the stupid Team debates.

    • Agreatreckoning says:

      Yes. There were some years I stepped away from Hollywood gossip. Not aware of an actual (non tabloid) situation between Sandra & Angelina. Not saying they’re friends. Just unaware of a beef between them.

      Not a fan of JA. I want to believe she’s moved on and recognizes how BP has maybe manipulated her.

  5. Hypocrisy says:

    If this is true, then shame on Jennifer and Sandra for being “those” types of women. Tanking another woman’s career because they have decided to stick their nose into her divorce and ongoing family issues including domestic violence. Great way to show women that they should come forward or leave a violent marriage so they also can become targets of nasty women. Sandra should know her choice of costars is the reason many of us have stopped watching her movies and Jennifer I personally haven’t watched since she since before friends ended. I truly hope they aren’t that horrible, but nothing surprises me anymore.

    • Jaded says:

      It’s not the least bit true. In Touch is about as reliable as a rubber crutch. This has Brad Pitt’s filthy fingers all over it.

  6. sevenblue says:

    I am not even sure they can launch a successful campaign to block someone. Obviously, we saw it is possible to get nomination for a white british woman who wasn’t on anyone’s list through these rich white women gatherings. However, to block someone?? That is more a powerful white man thing. You know, like George Clooney, Brad Pitt thing. Maybe, they are planning something like that and they are gonna blame it on another woman. I don’t think JA would spend her time with something like this after all these years.

  7. StillDouchesOfCambridge says:

    I’d be very disappointed to see that celebrities like jen aniston and sandra bullock would be that type of mean girls and have time to waste on petty wars for oscar statues. “People are dying Kim” is what I would tell them if that would be the case.

  8. Amy Bee says:

    If anyone’s going to attempt to block Angelina’s nomination it’s Brad Pitt not Jennifer Aniston and Sandra’s on a break from Hollywood.

  9. Jegede says:

    Well Julia Roberts – never an Angie fan – has let it be known that she’s rooting for Marie Jean Baptiste this year.

    Demi Moore has been very public about the support she’s getting from very famous former co-stars & colleagues for The Substance.

    So nothing would surprise me. #justsaying🤔🤔🤔

    • Beeks says:

      So Julia Roberts is suspect because she deems Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s role to be Oscar worthy and Demi’s co-stars are in question because they are applauding the performance of her career?

      Just because someone prefers one actor’s performance over another doesn’t make them complicit in taking down Angelina Jolie. 🤔

      • Jegede says:

        My point is the awards process is very High School cliquey.

        The In Touch report is likely BS, but history has shown that yep its like trying to get into the cheerleading squad.

        And Mari Jean Baptiste is FANTASTIC.
        As a Brit I’m rooting for her but I’m not hopeful.

  10. Hollz says:

    I think JA looks at how AJ’s life with Pitt turned out and breathes a sigh of relief. Their divorce was finalized 19 years ago (this week actually.) They were only together 6ish years ( started dating in 1998 – I can’t find a specific month – married in 2000, filed for divorce in January 2005.)

    If this was 15 years ago I could maybe see it, but now? Nah.

    • Sandra says:

      Looks like their mutual ex may be trying to leverage this decade + old feud as a way to talk smack

  11. TN Democrat says:

    I hate to see women played against each other like this. It is so 1999 to speak of women in these catty, backstabby terms. People need to rethink how press treat women now and in previous generations. Jennifer isn’t my favorite actress (or favorite Friend cast member), but 20 plus years of press about her infertility and playing her and Angelina Jolie off each other is ridiculous. Brad Pitt was the cheater whose behavior wrecked 2 marriages. Some of the articles villifying Jennifer could have been written by magats and remind me of Vance’s outspoken hatred of single ladies. If there is a smear campaign it will not be directed by either Jennifer or Sandra. This type of article is gross and sexist spin.

  12. Sunshile says:

    I don’t believe Aniston or Bullock are going to try to block Angelina’s nominations. Pitt? Definitely. Nicole Kidman was in the best actress race a couple of years ago for Being the ricardos and Pitt was absent but now all of a sudden he’s there supporting her at her screening for Babygirl this year. I can only imagine what his bitter ass is doing behind the scenes

  13. Mario says:

    Same old tired pit women-against-women re-dredge.

    It doesn’t even hold up logically. Sandra Bullock GOT the part and the Oscar nomination for GRAVITY, so why would she hold a decade+ of ill-will toward Angelina Jolie (who was considered *before* Sandra and reportedly passed on the role when offered). Jolie made her success with that film possible by not taking the role. Why would she hate her again?

    They have been trying to make Jen vs. Angelina an enduring storyline for decades now, too, and fetch is not going to happen. Jen let Brad go with grace, and, in real-time reminded people “there’s a sensitivity chip missing” with that man. (Check out the stories she’s shared of how he treated her in their producing ventures as well. She has no blinders on.)

    Jennifer Aniston has never allowed herself to be baited into positioning herself “against” Angelina Jolie. She always recognized that the person who did the most damage to HER was her *husband,* the married party in the equation, the one who — whether he physically cheated pre-separation or not — allowed an emotional affair with a co-star, left her for that other woman, and then did all the things she was never inclined to do (start a big family immediately, work in third world countries, etc.) with loud performative gusto.

    She quickly got therapy, realized she was better and happier out of a substandard, unequal partnership, maintained a cordial but limited professional friendship with him and wished him the best…moving on. And let’s not ignore the fact that by Brad’s own admission, he was regularly drunk and high then, so when she hears the stories of Jolie’s experiences, she knows how they fit into his life trajectory better than most, as she was married to him.

    And Sandra Bullock, while clearly professional friends with George and Brad, isn’t hanging out with Jennifer or going on vacations with Brad and Inez. She’s not gonna do mean girl mess behind everone’s back to help Jen Aniston settle a score she doesn’t even want to settle. This is all such crap and so formulaic. If they’d wanted to sell it they should have at least tried to make it make sense.

  14. Ingrid says:

    It’s just tabloid propaganda but put out by whom? Pitt told People Mag just two weeks ago he wasn’t rooting against Angelina when no one even asked them took his spiteful azz to Nicole’s screening lol. He can’t block nothing either.
    He has a vendetta against Angie and is playing the underbelly.
    Jolie told The Guardian about her continent Pitt about Weinstein and She Said became the worse grossing film in history. Do I not think he wants revenge like a child.
    Be careful how we disregard the rich vindictive people.

  15. Michelle says:

    Jennifer Aniston is still a bitter woman. She and her friends follow Angelina hate sites on instagram. Liking spiteful posts about Angie and children. She and Paltrow are still firmly in Pitt’s corner fawning over him. They all share the same agents, manager, publicists (CAA) the very ones who protected Weinstein all those years. Now they protect Pitt and bully angelina behind the scenes. They are vile!

    • Kitten says:

      LOL it is a transparently fake-ass story.

    • Jaded says:

      Oh puhleeze…she does no such thing. In Touch is about as truthful as Donald Trump. This is all Pitt’s work and I see you’re buying it. Pity…

    • SamuelWhiskers says:

      A brief glance at her official verified Insta shows that’s not true. She only follows a few hundred people, nearly all other verified celeb accounts or businesses.

      Come on, use a tiny bit of logic. If Jennifer Aniston was publicly following an Angelina Jolie hate account (when she follows so few people to begin with) every single tabloid in America would pick up on it and it would be a massive story, and there’d certainly be screencaps around.

      Wealthy celebs don’t need stans to protect them, both women are doing just fine.

    • Tessa says:

      Brad is a bitter man. Jennifer moved on. Jennifer was said to have miscarriage. The brad threw It in her face that she didn’t and kept saying he wanted kids.

      • Tessa says:

        He indicated and lied that jennifer did not want children. She was said to have had a miscarriage

  16. Roo says:

    I agree with everyone saying this sounds like BS. I also don’t know who would be pushing against Jolie when so many more negative stories have come about Brad Pitt and the tide seems to be turning against him. And it would be different if he was still wildly popular, but his latest movie went almost straight to video. LOL.

    Anyone campaigning against her on behalf of Pitt would face a lot of public scrutiny.

  17. mightymolly says:

    While I believe that JA occasionally stops rolling in her piles of money to grab a chicken salad and sparkling water with her well connected and influential group of friends, I don’t think she is at all concerned about what’s going on in AJ’s live (how have I never noticed their initials are reversed?) career. And she certainly isn’t still seething about that drunken abuser.

  18. Lau says:

    It sounds like bullsh*t from Pitt’s people. But if it’s true I don’t think that Aniston shouldn’t have that much power, especially when the current show she’s starring in is just really not that good.

  19. Sunshine says:

    Oh this BS. They both have things going on in their lives that they can’t be bothered. Mr. Pitty on the other hand is a different story. What a coincidence there was a people story right after her movie permiered at the NY film festival. He’s clearly upset at the praise she’s been getting with Maria.

  20. Anonymous says:

    Sandra Bullock is essentially a widow with a soon to be 15 and 12 year old. I don’t think she has the energy to try and sabotage Angelina getting an Oscar on behalf of Brad and Jennifer.

    Sandra was on the verge of tears wishing Hoda happy birthday and saying how tired and burnt out she is. Stories like this sound ridiculous but they can be damaging especially since her kids are probably very vulnerable.

  21. GoodWitchGlenda says:

    I don’t believe this for one second.

  22. ROFL says:

    Actually would say that she is trying to block Angelina Jolie from getting a nomination let alone a win because her PR agencies Tactics have already started Brad Pitt has come out and lobbying for Nicole Kidman which happens to be the same PR agency as himself and Jennifer Aniston so the dirty tricks have already started and the dirty lobbying has started. He had never done this before only this year and especially we know the fact is that just because Angelina Jolie is in contention of being awarded and Brad Pitt doing his every best to discredit her so Jennifer Aniston is never Far Away she’s cut from the same cloth

  23. ROFL says:

    INTOUCH MAGAZINE actually is making both Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Aniston bitter old hags who for no particular reason are going after a Domestic violence victim Angelina Jolie. This isn’t a good look, but we know Hollywood cesspool always plays dirty tricks as both Sandra and Aniston are from same PR agency as domestic abuser Brad Pitt, I would put anything past them and them and their gang of cronies. Look how hard George Clooney and Amal Clooney have publicly simped after domestic abusive pride paid even used their own children to elevate him and make him look like he doesn’t strangle children or poor alcohol over them because their Clooney is kids imagine putting your own children in harm’s way and trying to elevate it child abuser Who choked his own child so I wouldn’t put anything past them just to go after Angelina because so far Brad Pitt most definitely has been using his PR friends to attack Angelina and he himself as attacking her

  24. JKL says:

    We know who really is playing a dirty games and that is not Jen Aniston, but perpetrator of domestic violence Brad Pitt, he’s picked up his dirty lobbying games especially this year when he yold People Magazine he’s rooting against Angelina Jolie, that was his warning shot , and hes publicly support Nicole Kidman, a man who never did this
    before, but now has extra motivation
    when this for the first time after so many
    years that Angelina is playing a main role
    and she’s getting positive feedbacks
    from everybody he is the one who’s
    trying to destroy her and trying to lobby
    against her so all these Tactics from the
    same Media trash outlets is to pre warn Angelina that he’s going after her and will do everything to discredit her so that nobody writes for home especially when he thinks that he’s got the custody of Hollywood

  25. Norma says:

    This whole trash story has the hallmarks of vindictive scorched Earth Brad Pitt & his PR dirty tactics, hes the one with
    his Temu Heidi Fleiss doppelganger girlfriend been making a lot of noises in public, especially since Angelina’s movie has been given good response from critics and fans and all of a sudden it’s hurt is ego because his own movie has flocked despite the fact that a Amal and George Clooney even put their own reputations and their children’s safety online just to promote a perpetrator of domestic violence and trying to discredit and trivialise Angelina and her children domestic abuse… this is all to harm Angelina Jolie chances , so now Pitt using his fellow CAA agency clients

  26. Trip4 says:

    Brad Pitt you’re fooling nobody. Nobody’s falling back to Jen Vs Jolie toxic BS. God the man is so transparent you know that he’s just so vindictive and scorched earth since Angelina has divorced him and especially this year of course his extra incensed since his own movies are flopped and now seeing Angelina get praised of course he’s even dragged his of girlfriend trying to take tension away from and to flaunt it in her face by even that’s about fired so he should be ashamed of himself but obviously he’s Shameless

  27. lucy2 says:

    Oh FFS. Did I just stumble back into the early 2000s? This is ridiculous, misogynistic, fake BS.

    • Banana says:

      Agree. Pretty unbelievable. The pictures here also are so juvenile.

      Jen Aniston’s ‘power’ at the time of Cake is not what it is now. But nonetheless why would she be assured an Oscar even if she campaigned hard (which I don’t recall)? The Morning Show is worth watching.

  28. Mina_Esq says:

    Angelina is smart enough to have stayed in good graces of studios like Disney, and she continues to have a large fanbase. She will continue to make her money to fund her projects and support her kids. Whether or not a bunch of people who until just recently supported monsters like Weinstein, and who continue to support her abuser ex husband, is surely irrelevant to her. And I’m sure JA is sick of being pulled into a non-existent feud by her own abuser ex. This has BP written all over it. Gross.

  29. AmyB says:

    I will take things that are not happening for $1000 Alex.

    Give me a break lol.

    I am quite certain JA and AJ don’t give one another a passing thought at this point in life.

  30. FDR says:

    Pittstain is all.ocer this latest smear using JA SB vs AJ , these womrn have no beef , only pereon who has toxic personal beef against Angelina Jolie is Pittstain perpetrator of domestic violence Brad Pittstain.. we already saw his ” I’m not rooting for Angelina ” reported via people magazine, this is all him a bitter vindictive man who wants to finish Angelina Jolie career & image because she divorced him and never looked back

  31. Lola says:

    If she had this kind of power, she would be in more movies. This is probably Brad if it’s anybody.

  32. Jilliebean says:

    Can society stop putting these two talented incredible women against each other?

    It would be fantastic to see them collaborate and support each other instead of these dumb stories

  33. Mia Boanac says:

    Jolie will place any story in the media that will promote her evil self. To hit on Aniston again is the lowest of the lows. The movie is bad. Her appropriation of Maria’s image is shameful, but she likes to appropriate things that don’t belong to her, doesn’t she. So many better actresses, especially Greek ones who should have played this role. Also, Jolie’s accent in the movie is beyond laughable.

  34. Sass says:

    This story is so dumb. Sandra is friends with both Brad and Jen? Are we still trying to say they’re secretly back together. Lol! I feel like Sandra has chosen to remove herself from the public eye (I saw the CBS SM interview and I’m sure she’s still grieving over the loss of her life partner). It sounds made up.