Jennifer Aniston Finally Responds To David Schwimmer Dating Rumors

First she called the rumors “bizarre,” then she said, “That’s my brother.” Ouch

In the Central Perk bombshell heard ’round the world, Friends fans everywhere collectively gasped when Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer admitted they had both crushed on each other in real life while filming the early seasons of the series, making the entire world’s Ross and Rachel fantasies seemingly come alive.

Then, to make matters even more spellbinding, rumors began circulating in the weeks after the reunion special aired that the two actors had actually rekindled their respective old flames and began dating in real life. Of course, both have been subject to endless tabloid scrutiny over their love lives since the mid-90s, but that didn’t stop fans from not-so-secretly hoping the two would hook up and find love with each other all these years later.

Sadly, Schwimmer himself dashed our dreams of the pair’s real-life romance, with his rep telling The Sun last month that there was “no truth” to the speculation. Still, if fans were still low-key hoping they might just be dating on the down low or might get together in the future, well, Aniston just shot those hopes down pretty solidly.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Aniston called the rumors “bizarre,” calling Schwimmer her “brother.” Yikes.

“That was bizarre. I could not believe that, actually. Like, really? That’s my brother,” she said. “But I understand it, though. It just shows you how hopeful people are for fantasies, for dreams to come true.”

While it’s definitely a bummer, at least the knowledge that the pair had such sizzling chemistry on- and off-screen lives on forever. If you’ll recall, when reunion host James Corden asked if there had been any behind-the-scenes romances among the six young stars during the series’ decade-long run, Aniston became noticeably flustered before replying, “David?”

Schwimmer then admitted, “I mean, the first season, I had a major crush on Jen. 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.”

Not only did the pair cop to cuddling, spooning, and falling asleep together on the couch between takes (!), Aniston even admitted she hoped their first kiss would happen before their characters’ big smooch. She said, “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. So we just channeled all of our adoration and love for each other into Ross and Rachel.”

We must admit, we’re sad that she officially put Schwimmer in the friend zone, but who knows what the future holds for these two. We refuse to give up hope completely. Please give us a moment to grieve the loss of what we (apparently) never actually had.