Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn initially denied that they were dating but after their break-up, they opened up about each other.
Back in January 2005, Brad Pitt, 56, and Jennifer Aniston, 51, officially split up following months of reports that they were breaking up. "We would like to announce that after seven years together we have decided to formally separate," they wrote in a statement to People. "For those who follow these sorts of things, we would like to explain that our separation is not the result of any of the speculation reported by the tabloid media. This decision is the result of much thoughtful consideration. We happily remain committed and caring friends with great love and admiration for one another."
It was in October that year that their divorce was finalized. Even though their statement said that it wasn't a result of the speculation reported in the media, it was clear that Pitt left to be with Angelina Jolie. In the meantime, Aniston was trying to pick up the pieces of her heart, and continuing to be a thorough professional.
In the summer of 2005, when she and Vince Vaughn, 50, started working together on the rom-com The Break-Up, rumor has it that sparks flew between them. In July, when Rolling Stone magazine asked Vaughn if he was seeing Aniston, his reaction was noteworthy. "Vaughn gurgles — ‘Yeoun-yuhn’ is what it sounds like — and then buttons his lip and stares straight ahead, blinking," they wrote.
Two months later, it was reported that they had been "very cozy with each other" during the film’s wrap party, as per InStyle. Aniston’s rep warned the outlet to "not read into this." In October 2005, they were seen in Chicago, "dancing, eyes locked, before kissing and making out."
Aniston kept denying that she was dating him during that period. "Vince is my friend," the Rumor Has It actress told Elle. "I adore him. He's delicious and funny. He's got all the colors of the rainbow. But I don't want to be a rebound girl. I feel like it will happen when it happens," she said.
To Vanity Fair, she said, "I barely know the guy. We’ve exchanged a wine-and-cheese basket for the start of the movie, and we’ve gone out to dinner with the director and other people. We’ve got to get to know each other."
In May 2006, the Dodgeball actor told David Letterman that he chose "not to talk about my private life that much publicly" when asked about his relationship status. "I’m not saying we are or aren’t a couple. I think she’s great, but I just don’t discuss whether we are," he said, according to InStyle.
During that phase, talk show host Oprah Winfrey asked the We're the Millers actress if she was planning a wedding with Vaughn, and Aniston replied, "No wedding, no moves, no, no." When Vaughn was interviewed by Winfrey, he gushed over his co-star. She is "one of my favorite people," he said, adding, "She's just really smart and funny and easy to be with — very considerate."
However, much like the name of their movie, their relationship headed for a real-life break up soon. In late 2006, there were reports that the Wedding Crashers actor was seen with someone else, which is when the non-couple had to assure everyone that they were indeed a couple.
"Ms. Aniston and Mr. Vaughn had not ended their relationship either at the material time or since," said a statement from Vaughn, according to People. "The suggestion that he was having a passionate embrace and kiss, or has ever been unfaithful to Ms. Aniston, are false."
He was shooting in London at the time and the Friends actress visited him there. They announced their split after the visit but stayed friends. Even years later, they only had good things to say of each other.
Vaughn told Parade of his "great friendship" with her. "I still talk to her constantly. I have a real, genuine connection with Jen. And I have a real appreciation of her. That continues to this day," he added.
Aniston spoke about him in 2008, and told Vogue, "I call Vince my defibrillator. He literally brought me back to life. My first gasp of air was a big laugh! It was great. I love him. He's a bull in a china shop. He was lovely and fun and perfect for the time we had together. And I needed that. And it sort of ran its course."
In as late as 2015, the Swingers actor revealed that he didn't like the "paparazzi" side of his relationship with her. "You like someone and you’re spending time with them; that’s separate and that was all fine. But I really spent most of that time finding ways not to be drawn into the attention. I think laying low and not talking about it put me in a good position later, because I just wasn’t part of anything," he said, as per HuffPost.
References:
https://people.com/archive/cover-story-heartbreaker-vol-63-no-3/
https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/wonder-boys-owen-wilson-and-vince-vaughn-182823/
https://www.instyle.com/celebrity/tbt-jennifer-aniston-vince-vaughn-relationship
https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a9237/the-better-girl-19474/
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2005/09/aniston200509
https://people.com/celebrity/vince-vaughn-ive-never-cheated-on-jen/
http://www.parade.com/celebrity/articles/080109-vince-vaughn.html
https://www.vogue.com/article/jennifer-aniston-prime-time
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/vince-vaughn-jennifer-aniston_n_6671422
