Jennifer Aniston Hits Back at Criticism for Saying She Cut Ties With 'a Few' Unvaccinated People

Jennifer Aniston was on the cover of InStyle, and she's gotten plenty of attention for comments she made in the accompanying story about COVID-19 vaccinations.

In the interview, the 52-year-old former Friends star revealed that she ended some relationships with people over their unwillingness to get vaccinated. "There's still a large group of people who are anti-vaxxers or just don't listen to the facts. It's a real shame," she said. "I've just lost a few people in my weekly routine who have refused or did not disclose [their vaccination status], and it was unfortunate," she said.

Now, The Morning Show star is responding to criticism on her Instagram Stories over her comments, and clearing up some questions people have. In one slide, Aniston showed annoyance at the comments on one Oprah Daily post, in which she talked about the vaccine. In another, she singled out a question from one commenter: "But if she's vaccinated, she's protected correct? Why be worried about unvaxxed around her?"

Aniston's response: "Because if you have the [Delta] variant, you are still able to give it to me. I may get slightly sick but I will not be admitted to the hospital and or die. BUT I CAN give it to someone else who does not have the vaccine and whose health is compromised (or has a previous existing condition) - and therefore I would put their lives at risk. THAT is why I worry. We have to care about more than just ourselves here."

The Delta variant Aniston referenced is now responsible for 83 percent of cases in the country, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than 92,282 new COVID-19 cases were diagnosed on Wednesday in the US, the most recent data that data is available, with states like Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi having the highest rates of new cases per capita, the data show.

Aniston also shared a snapshot from @badasscrossstitch that says, "What doesn't kill you mutates and tries again."

Aniston also told InStyle that she feels people have a "moral and professional obligation" to let people know their vaccination status "since we're not all podded up and being tested every single day."

"It's tricky because everyone is entitled to their own opinion — but a lot of opinions don't feel based in anything except fear or propaganda," she said.

This isn't the first time Aniston has spoken out about the importance of following COVID-19 safety protocols. In June, she shared a photo on Instagram that's received more than 6.8 million likes of herself wearing a mask, alongside a poignant message.

"I understand masks are inconvenient and uncomfortable. But don't you feel that it's worse that businesses are shutting down... jobs are being lost... health care workers are hitting absolute exhaustion. And so many lives have been taken by this virus because we aren't doing enough," she wrote in the caption.

Aniston said that she does "believe in the basic goodness of people so I know we can all do this 🥰 BUT still, there are many people in our country refusing to take the necessary steps to flatten the curve, and keep each other safe."

"People seem worried about their 'rights being taken away' by being asked to wear a mask," she continued. "This simple and effective recommendation is being politicized at the expense of peoples' lives. And it really shouldn't be a debate 🙏🏼 ."

She ended on this note: "If you care about human life, please... just #wearadamnmask 😷 and encourage those around you to do the same ❤️."