Brad Pitt and Jen Aniston Had a MOMENT—Now We Wait

It may be 2020, but the January 19 Screen Actor’s Guild Awards were giving us some serious early 2000s vibes. No, it wasn’t because of Margot Robbie’s very Laguna Beach-esque roots and messy bun combo; and thankfully there wasn’t a low slung pant in sight. The real source of our nostalgia came from the reuniting of everyone’s fave early ‘aughts celeb couple: Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt. After a series of misses at recent award shows, numerous clips of the pair reacting to each other’s various acceptance speeches at the Golden Globes, and amidst months of rumours that the former couple have been in contact on the DL, Pitt and Aniston finally publicly reunited backstage at the SAG Awards in what can only be described as the greatest thing to ever happen to humankind. And I’m not being hyperbolic. The moment in question came right after Aniston picked up an award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series for her work on Apple TV’s The Morning Show, (unbeknownst to Aniston at the time, her former hubby was backstage watching her acceptance speech and looking seriously *thrilled* for her).

Shortly after, the former flames crossed paths and greeted each other with smiles, hugs, a potential cheek kiss and what can only be described as the most sexual hand hold ever.

Seriously, it was so steamy.

That is a *familiar* hand grasp if I’ve ever seen one. And is her finger UNDER his jacket lapel?! SEXUAL. My heart is literally palpitating right now. This hand clasp is steamier than the entirety of Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes’s “Señorita” music video—and that is saying something.

As is to be expected, this five second pleasant interaction between two people who have been exes for longer than they were married (which was 2000 to 2005, BTW), has sparked mass hysteria across the internet, with fans having one of three reactions: freaking out that said hand hold means the two are about to get back together—and loving it, chastising Aniston for even deigning to consider getting back with her (allegedly, but most likely) philandering ex and just straight up freaking out.

And the thing is, none of these reactions are necessarily wrong—but we also all just need to chill the eff out. Because guys, whatever will happen, will happen, regardless of how we feel.

It’s fine to be pissed at Brad

Listen, there’s a reason people feel so strongly about Aniston and Pitt; a couple that—despite being a mere blip on the timeline of celeb relationships—have had the staying power of tiny sunglasses. They were the OG celeb super couple, the literal epitome of OC chic with their matching faux-drealock twists (very problematic) and laid back surfer-chic style.

They were America’s sweethearts, which is why their divorce, and rumours that it was Pitt’s infidelity with future wife Angelina Jolie that prompted it, hurt so much. It was the end of a beautiful, classic Hollywood era. And it’s also understandable that some people would still be pissed about it.

Cheating sucks. It’s a super shitty thing to do to someone, especially someone you’re married to. And we shouldn’t forget that Pitt (maybe, probably, most likely) did cheat on Aniston, then married his alleged mistress.

It makes sense that—after treating his former wifey like that—some people wouldn’t be super thrilled at the idea of Aniston getting back together with her ex. Because no one does Jen An like that!

And, it’s also cool to be rooting for them

But, it also doesn’t make us shitty people to be rooting for the opposite, and leaning hardcore into the fantasy that the couple would—20 years after initially tying the knot—reunite and end up happily ever after. Just like it’s super fine to be pissed AF at Pitt and think he’s the scum of the earth, it’s OK if seeing these former flames back together sparks almost hysterical joy in us (and Aniston’s BFF Courtney Cox, who has apparently liked *all* photos of the couple reuniting)—because we believed in them.

As writer Rachel Syme tweeted about the encounter, our communal longing for the pair to reunite and mend their rift isn’t even necessarily about them, but rather “the fantasy that no door is ever closed.” We ride or die for the idea of true love—no matter how unrealistic or actually unhealthy it may be IRL.

We’re the same generation that was obsessed with The Notebook, folks—is it any surprise that we’d be rooting for any IRL version of that iconic rain moment? While I’m not here for that whole “men realizing how much they love a woman after they’ve disrespected her” schtick (looking at you, Stormzy). And while I hate that Pitt and Aniston’s re-coupling would have to come at the cost of Aniston having to essentially move on from the personal pain she probably endured, it’s a nice if unrealistic fantasy to imagine Pitt figuring out that he’s a piece of shit, getting his life together and then professing his love and treating Aniston like the queen she is.

But, it’s ultimately up to them to decide what’s going on

Regardless of how we may feel about the whole sitch, the truth is that no amount of tweeting, memeing and thirsting after this coupling are going to affect Aniston and Pitt’s relationship decisions. We already know from our obsession with the millennial Aniston and Pitt (i.e. Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber), that pushing our fave former couples to reunite doesn’t work, and usually ends up actually being super toxic for the couple in question, not to mention any of their future partners.

So, can we just sit back and let this relationship—whatever it may be—do its thing? Maybe that means Aniston and Pitt will start dating and consciously couple into a five-bedroom beach house in Malibu, perhaps it just means they’ll be cordial and friendly in public, or, maybe, Aniston will just get some super fun new year sex and then say “thank u, next” to her former hubby when he once again tries to wife her up. Whose really to say? At this point,  just Jenn and Brad.