Revealing the only guy who rejected Jennifer Aniston’s confession when she was in high school and the late regret that lasted more than 30 years

She’s been one of the most admired women in Hollywood for decades, but even Jennifer Aniston wasn’t immune to heartbreak in her teenage years. In a revelation that’s both endearing and bittersweet, a former high school classmate has come forward—confessing that he was the only guy to ever turn down Jennifer Aniston’s romantic interest. And he’s regretted it for more than 30 years.

The story came to light during a recent podcast episode of School Days: Celebrity Yearbooks, where Aniston’s former classmate, 54-year-old Michael Garvey, spoke publicly for the first time about an encounter that, in hindsight, became one of his greatest regrets.

“We were 17. She was sweet, funny, already magnetic—but none of us knew she was going to become Jennifer Aniston,” Garvey said. “She pulled me aside one afternoon and told me she had a crush on me. I didn’t know what to say, so I just… said I wasn’t interested.”

The Awkward Moment That Haunted Him

According to Garvey, the moment happened at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York, where both he and Aniston were students in the 1980s. Though the two were friends, he claims he was “shy, insecure, and honestly clueless” at the time.

“It wasn’t because I didn’t like her,” he explained. “I just didn’t believe someone like her could really be into someone like me. I thought it was a joke. So I brushed it off. Big mistake.”

After the brief and awkward encounter, the two drifted apart in the final months of high school and lost contact after graduation.

It wasn’t until years later—after Friends premiered and Aniston became a household name—that Garvey began to fully realize what he had walked away from.

“I remember watching the pilot of Friends with some college buddies and seeing her on screen,” he said. “I froze. I said, ‘Oh my God, that’s Jen. I rejected her?’ I’ve never stopped thinking about that moment.”

A Missed Connection, A Lasting Impression

Though Garvey has led a successful life—married, father of two, and working as a music teacher in upstate New York—he admits that the memory still stings.

“Not because she became famous,” he clarified. “Because I missed a chance to know someone extraordinary in a deeper way. She was kind, sincere, and completely real. That moment could’ve been the beginning of something beautiful.”

When asked if he ever tried to reconnect, Garvey says he wrote her a letter in the late ’90s—never mailed it—and once even considered sending her flowers anonymously after hearing about her split from Brad Pitt.

“But I figured, what would I even say? ‘Hey, remember the awkward guy who ghosted your teenage heart?’ Yeah, that doesn’t exactly land.”

Jennifer Aniston Reacts

Though Aniston has not officially responded to Garvey’s recent interview, sources close to the actress say she remembers the moment “vaguely, and with humor.”

“Jen laughed when she heard about it,” the source said. “She said, ‘I probably cried about it for a day, then moved on. High school was like that.’ But she thinks it’s sweet that he still remembers.”

Indeed, Aniston has often joked about her teenage years being filled with insecurity and awkward crushes—something fans may find hard to believe given her polished confidence today.

A Lesson in Timing

Garvey’s story has struck a chord online, with fans calling it a relatable tale of missed opportunities and the unpredictability of life.

“We’ve all had a Jen or a Mike in our past,” one Twitter user wrote. “But not all of us realize it 30 years later—and own it like he did.”

Whether or not the two ever reconnect, one thing is clear: long before Jennifer Aniston was America’s sweetheart, she was just a teenage girl willing to wear her heart on her sleeve. And for one classmate, that sleeve still carries a memory—and a regret—that never quite faded.