Jennifer Aniston's co-star shares insight into 'tough' split after relationship broke down

Friends star Tate Donovan joined the show in 1998 as Rachel's crush Joshua - but in real-life the actors were in the middle of a break-up

Friends fans will remember Tate Donovan as Jennifer’s Aniston’s love interest Joshua in ‘The One with Rachel’s Crush’.

But not everyone will know that in real-life, the actors actually dated for two years – even living together at one point. And when Tate joined the Friends cast in 1998, the pair were in the process of breaking up.

Ever the professionals, both stars hid it well and managed to get through some tough scenes together. On-screen their characters were forming a romantic connection, but when the cameras stopped rolling Tate revealed he was ‘heartbroken’ by their split.

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Both have remained tight-lipped on why they ended up going their separate ways 26 years ago. But the split can’t have been that bad or they wouldn’t have agreed to work together – especially with Jennifer being one of Friends’ main stars.

Now Tate, 60, has opened up on what was really going on behind the scenes as he and Jennifer, now 55, navigated the breakdown of their relationship – and revealed the kind actions of one Friends star that made their split a tiny bit easier.

At the time the media reported it was Jennifer’s fame that led to her split with Tate. However, she told Rolling Stone in 1999: “That wasn’t actually why we broke up. But because we didn’t give the press anything, they made it up”.

She added it had “nothing to do with ego battles, wanting babies, not wanting marriage – all that stuff. None of it was accurate.”

But speaking to The Independent as the cast celebrate 30 years of Friends, Tate described his time with Jennifer as ‘like being with a Beatle’ - especially when they came to England where Brits were obsessed with the show. He said: “We had to say we were having reservations at one restaurant and then go to another. There were fake cars and everything, all to avoid the paparazzi.”

Revealing why he decided to join the cast – who he already knew through dating Jennifer – as they were breaking up, Tate shared that neither of them really told anyone they had split up at first.

Calling the break-up ‘tough’, he likened it to ‘going to class when you’re in high school and you’ve broken up with the girl you sat next to’. Nevertheless, he accepted the role.

Sharing the reason why, he said: “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. But it makes you a pro – it’s like OK, we got over it. Nobody knows, the audience isn’t going to know, the audience is going to think just the opposite. When I look back on it, I’m like, ‘Wow, good for you, man. That was pretty good.’”

Tate said it was the late Matthew Perry, who played Chandler, that helped him through the split and added: “He was so sweet. He was the only one who called me when me and Jen broke up. And we ran into each other throughout the years and he was always incredibly supportive. 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.”

Tragically Matthew died at the age of 54 in October 2023. Last month five people were charged for providing ketamine that caused the much-loved actor’s death in a hot tub his LA home. A coroner ruled he passed away following an accidental ketamine overdose.

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