Jennifer Aniston blindsided after discovering Reese Witherspoon's real name for first time in 25 year friendship

After a friendship spanning more than 25 years, it’s safe to say that Jennifer Aniston thought she knew her fellow The Morning Show co-star Reese Witherspoon pretty well. Yet even despite the enduring connection the pair have, the former Friends star couldn’t help but be blindsided when Reese revealed her full legal name to her during a recent press interview.

Born Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon, the actress decided to shorten her name when she began to pursue her craft professionally, opting for the moniker that we all know her by today. While many fans may not have realised Reese is actually named Laura, Jennifer was equally shocked to discover this little known fact for herself during segment amid their promo tour for season four of their hit Apple TV+ series.

The pair, whose friendship dates back to 2000 when Reese famously guest starred on Friends as Jennifer’s on-screen sister, were tasked with answering questions about each other during the tongue in cheek segment.

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At one point, Witherspoon quizzed her co-star about her real name and asked her: “What is my real middle name? A: Jane, B: Jean or C: Joan.”

Aniston then incorrectly answered Jane, prompting Reese to respond: “It's confusing. I'm Laura Jean.”

Yet even despite the nonchalant clarification, this new snippet information proved almost too much for Aniston to handle, as she exclaimed: “Laura Jean?”

Witherspoon then added: “That's my real name. Yeah.”

Prompting her astonished co-star to declare: “Laura! Who's Laura? Who the hell's Laura? I'm not calling you that from now on! Where did Reese come from?”

Adding further clarification, Reese simply replied: “It's my middle name. I'm Laura Jean Reese.”

Curious as to why she had opted to change her name when entering the acting industry, the Sweet Home Alabama star went on to explain that it wasn’t just a professional change, and that she had simply always used her middle name in her day to day life.

During the same video, Jennifer also revealed her own full name, which is Jennifer Joanna Aniston - much to her co-star’s surprise.

Reflecting on their time working together a quarter of a century ago, the pair also tested each others knowledge of Friends, the show which catapulted Aniston to megastardom in the 90s, and gave countless stars, including Witherspoon, a chance to carve their place in TV history in memorable guest roles.

As part of a quick-fire quiz, Aniston grilled her on-screen sister about how her character Rachel Green had infamously ruined a recipe in one particular episode.

Without missing a beat, Reese was quick to recall how Rachel had accidentally added mince beef and peas to a trifle, in a now iconic moment of TV history, with Aniston herself explaining the incident had come about after her character had been following a magazine recipe when two pages stuck together, causing her to mistakenly blend a dessert trifle with a recipe for cottage pie.

The first episode of The Morning Show's season four aired on September 17 with new episodes released each Wednesday on Apple TV+.