Silence can speak 1,000 words. But sometimes it just says, "Back off."

Or so it seemed after Today show entertainment correspondent Jill Rappaport questioned Jennifer Aniston Tuesday about the latest grist for the rumor mill surrounding Aniston and boyfriend Vince Vaughn. But although the 37-year-old actress clammed up, her Friends with Money costar Catherine Keener was on-hand to ward off what could have been a pret-ty awkward silence.

When Rappaport asked Aniston if there was any truth behind the rumor that Oprah Winfrey was throwing an $8 million blowout wedding for Aniston and her beau, the Good Girl actress kept a stiff upper lip. But Aniston's lip was so stiff, it wouldn't allow any words to come out, and before you can say Friends, Keener spoke up on her pal's behalf.

"I thought you weren't going to go there," the 40-Year-Old Virgin star told Rappaport, a reproachful edge in her voice. "But you did."

"It's frustrating because those rumors do get out there," Rappaport said in her defense (just in case Aniston hadn't noticed all of those magazines out there with herself, Vaughn, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie squeezed onto one cover).

And, Rappaport added, "when you hear about an $8 million wedding, you'd like to be invited."

"And now you won't be," jested Keener, drawing laughs from Aniston and fellow interviewee Joan Cusack.

At one point in the conversation Rappaport had asked Keener about Aniston's nickname for her, which apparently was "mama bear," in reference to Keener's protective nature.

"More like mama cougar," the correspondent joked after Keener bared that brief bit of claw in Aniston's defense. Rappaport also quipped that she hoped Vaughn wouldn't mind having an extra wedding crasher at his nuptials.

Before the verbal ping-pong began, Rappaport's chat with the three actresses revolved mainly on their friendly bond during filming. The subject of friendship, however, inevitably led to a question for Aniston about how the support of friends and family has helped her through the recent public turmoil in her life.

Aniston called all the love in her corner "a beautiful thing."

"A lot of people have stuff that they go through in life that's hard, and they show up and they're a professional, and she was a great example of that," Cusack said.

In Friends with Money, Aniston plays the aimless, less affluent friend of three married women played by Keener, Cusack and Frances McDormand. Lovely and Amazing director Nicole Holofcener did the honors for this film, which opens Friday.

But who needs friends like these when Mama Bear has your back?