Jennifer Aniston shared rare ‘then and now’ photos of herself and her dad

Jennifer Aniston set a Guinness World Record when she joined Instagram in October for taking the shortest time to get to 1 million followers — and fans have loved getting an insight into her personal life. On Dec. 26, Jen paid tribute to her father, John Aniston, with a sweet throwback post.

Alongside a sepia-tinted picture of a young Jennifer cuddled up to her dad and a second, more recent image of the two smiling next to each other, the “Friends” star wrote, “Christmas with one of my creators. Then and now #TBT.” She completed the captioned with, “Love you, papa” and a red heart emoji.

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She has currently received more than 4 million likes for these pictures! The post still has some catching up to do, though — her first Instagram post, a selfie of herself with her “Friends” co-stars, currently has more than 15 million likes.

John, 86, is an actor best known for portraying Victor Kiriakis on “Days of Our Lives,” but he didn’t want his daughter to follow in his footsteps. Jennifer revealed in a 2012 interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he advised her not to go into acting.

“My dad’s advice has always been: ‘Don’t do it. Become a doctor. Become a lawyer,'” she recalled at the time. “He didn’t want me to be heartbroken because he knew it was a tough business. It compelled me to go for it even harder. Do what keeps you happy, and don’t ever let people box you in.”

The younger Aniston also recently posted a photo of herself and some close friends (including fellow actors Laura Dern and Rita Wilson and her longtime hairstylist and friend Chris McMillan) celebrating the holidays.

“Say CHEESE!! Lotta love in that room. Happy Holidays!” she wrote in the caption.

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Jennifer, who turned 50 in February, can currently be seen on “The Morning Show” for Apple TV+ alongside Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell.

She told PEOPLE earlier in December that 2019 has taught her “how much I’m capable of” and that she’s excited to see what 2020 will bring.

“I’m ready to get back to work on the show. I’m ready to see what 2020 brings me,” Jennifer said. “I’m just so excited for the unknown.”

We wish her the best in the coming year!