Jennifer Aniston recently revealed a surprising detail about her childhood, tied to her Greek heritage, during an appearance on the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show on Wednesday night.
The 55-year-old actress discussed a family tradition that brought her a mix of cultural pride and personal unease—belly dancing at family gatherings.
Aniston, who grew up in Thousand Oaks, California, with her father John Aniston—a Greek-born soap opera star—and her mother Nancy Dow, shared memories that many children from immigrant backgrounds might relate to. When asked by Jimmy Kimmel if it was true that her family would make her belly dance on Christmas Eve, Aniston admitted, “Yes, and not just on Christmas Eve—any time, really.”
Reflecting on the experience, the “Friends” star described how her Greek family would often turn family dinners into impromptu performances. “The Greeks love any kind of family gathering,” she explained. “They would say, ‘Let’s get up and watch.’ It’s like when parents say, ‘Play piano for everyone.’ For me, it was belly dancing.”
Aniston admitted that these frequent requests to perform left her with “inner trauma.” The pressure of dancing in front of her Greek relatives, including her aunts, uncles, and grandmothers, has impacted her to this day. “I get such anxiety when my friends make their kids perform in front of others. I have inner trauma from having to do that myself,” she shared.
She had previously opened up about this family tradition in a 2016 interview with Entertainment Weekly. Aniston recalled how her father’s Greek heritage played a central role in her upbringing. “When I was a kid, they used to make me belly dance on Christmas Eve. I’d dress up as a little Greek girl, and after taking belly-dancing classes, I’d have to perform,” she said. For her, it wasn’t about celebrating Christmas but rather “humiliating Jen on Christmas,” she jokingly added.
Aniston’s appearance on the show was also to promote her new children’s book, ‘Clydeo Takes a Bite Out of Life’, which is inspired by her rescue dog Clyde. The actress even brought Clyde along to the studio, allowing him to make his television debut.
