Jennifer Aninston’s ex Tate Donovan ‘heartbroken’ after ‘tough’ breakup with Friends co-star

Jennifer Aniston’s ex-partner and Friends co-star Tate Donovan has opened up about his “tough” experience being cast for the sitcom at the same time as navigating his real-life break up.

Tate famously had a guest appearance in Friends as Joshua Burgin – ‘Josh-ua’ to serious Friends fans – of whom Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) was a love interest.

Tate, who dated Jen between 1996 and 1998, told The Independent in a new interview that their split left him “heartbroken” and “just trying to survive.”

Speaking about his decision to accept the role, Tate explained: “We were just breaking up and I, for some weird reason, thought that maybe working together would ease the breakup. Maybe we’d become friends quicker. I just wanted to go gently into the good night – we both did.”

He added: “It was very tough. Everyone was so supportive, but it was hard. It’s like going to class when you’re in high school and you’ve broken up with the girl who you sat next to.”

While the couple were not engaged, they did live together for a short period during their romance, which ended in February 1998.

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At the time, reports suggested the pair ended because Tate couldn’t handle his girlfriend’s fame, but the couple have since denied the rumours and remained tight-lipped about the real reason they decided to end their relationship. 

Speaking to Rolling Stone in 1999, Jennifer addressed the rumours. “That wasn’t actually why we broke up. But because we didn’t give the press anything, they made it up,” she said. 

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“Tate’s and my breakup had nothing to do with ego battles, wanting babies, not wanting marriage – all that stuff. None of it was accurate.”

The star also revealed that the late Matthew Perry had been a source of comfort whilst on set. “It meant so much to me [that he was kind on set] because I was really heartbroken, and you don’t know how well you’re doing, and you’re just trying to survive at that point,” said Tate. 

Jennifer Aniston’s Friends romances

Tate wasn’t the only co-star Jen had feelings for. Jennifer and David Schwimmer sent fans into a tailspin in 2021, when they revealed a long-held secret that the pair were both taken with each other whilst on the set of Friends.

Sitting down with James Cordon and their castmates from the show during the Friends Reunion, David revealed: “At some point, we were crushing hard on each other, but it was like two ships passing, because one of us was always in a relationship and we never crossed that boundary. We respected that.”

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Jennifer added, “Honestly, I remember saying one time to David, ‘It’s going to be such a bummer if the first time you and I actually kiss is going to be on national television.’ Sure enough, first time we kissed was in that coffee shop.” 

Rather than getting romantically involved in real life, Jennifer added that they “channeled all of our adoration and love for each other into Ross and Rachel.”