Given the title and premise of The Last of Us — both the HBO series and the video game it’s adapted from — it’s obvious that relatively few things survived the pandemic that turns infected members into zombie-esque killing machines. That’s never felt more true than now, following the huge tragedy we witnessed in “Through the Valley,” but I guess some things are too epic to die. I’m referring to that magazine featuring Jennifer Aniston on its cover that was found in the ruins, and the Friends actress herself has responded to the unexpected cameo.
Bella Ramsey’s Ellie happened upon a 2003 issue of People when The Last of Us premiered on the 2025 TV schedule, flipping through it with confusion as she peeped the best- and worst-dressed celebs and learned more about Jennifer Aniston’s “Sexy Nights.” Aniston appeared to be caught off-guard by the blast from the past, as she posted a screenshot from the series on her Instagram Stories and wrote:
This is iconic behavior from Jennifer Aniston, and I have to say The Last of Us picked a good issue to encapsulate pop culture in the early aughts. The cover also featured Britney Spears and Kate Hudson, as well as Aniston’s Friends co-star Matt LeBlanc. We also got a glimpse at Bennifer 1.0 with an article teasing Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s “secret wedding details” … awkward!
The appearance of The Morning Show star and executive producer serves as a bit of an easter egg for those who pay attention to celebrity relationship gossip. Just a month ago, Jennifer Aniston and Pedro Pascal sparked dating rumors by going out to a dinner together that lasted three hours.
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The Mandalorian star was asked about the meeting in an interview with Access Hollywood and whether Pedro Pascal had been trying to get Jennifer Aniston to appear on The Last of Us. The actor coyly responded:
Or I go on her show. That wouldn’t be a terrible thing. … I would do anything for Jennifer.
Well, now that Jennifer Aniston has kind of appeared on The Last of Us, I’ll be waiting for Pedro Pascal’s cameo on The Morning Show Season 4. The Joel portrayer went on to say the most glowing things about the actress:
She’s that person. She’s that person to everyone. It’s just that really. I guess the best way that I could describe it is if you’re in a party setting and you make eye contact with Jen, she just knows exactly what’s going on with you and knows exactly how to make you feel.
So basically, when the gummy kicks in? Pedro Pascal continued:
If you’re really high at a party, make eye contact with Jen Aniston and she’ll calm your central nervous system. You’ll be like, ‘Oh no, everything’s fine. I’m safe.’ As soon as your brain starts to go a little too wild and you start to get paranoid, she’ll look at you, get you a glass of water and you’re fine.
She sounds like a good person to have around in an apocalyptic crisis! If you’re not caught up on the first two episodes of The Last of Us Season 2 — which included a big change from the video game’s gut-wrenching scene — you can stream episodes with a Max subscription. New episodes drop at 9 p.m. ET Sundays on HBO and Max.