There’s trouble brewing for Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux. For most of 2017, the couple (who tied the knot in 2015) haven’t been together, and have often spent time not only on different coasts, but — often times — in completely different countries. And now, an insider tells Life & Style exclusively, the two of them are “leading separate lives.”

The two reunited, finally, and ended their year together with a New Year’s Eve trip to Mexico, but opted to include friends on what was clearly an important trip for their relationship. “They chose to go with friends during this particularly difficult time during their marriage. A week alone would’ve been too strained,” the insider adds. Had they been alone, the insider suspects, they would’ve been dealing with some uncomfortable conversations. “They felt it would be easier and more relaxed to have some friends come along.”

The trouble comes at a particularly bad time for the couple, as sources told In Touch that Jen is talking to her ex-husband, Brad Pitt, again and their relationship is in the best place its been since their shocking 2005 divorce. Jen provided Brad a shoulder to cry on after his separation — and now he’s returning the favor as she goes through her own troubles with Justin. “Brad and Jen have bonded like never before over the past year,” a friend of theirs told In Touch. “And they’ve been helping each other through their respective troubles.”

And support is needed now more than ever as friends are speculating that they’re not going to pull through. “The truth is that the marriage has been crumbling,” the insider says, noting that it could be the beginning of the end of the famous couple. “It’s not make-or-break time for them and their marriage.”

For more on Jen and Justin’s drama, pick up the new issue of Life & Style, on stands now!