Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reached a settlement to end their marriage after eight years of court wrangling. The deal, announced on December 30, is a big step forward in what was once thought to be Hollywood’s most famous partnership.
“More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr. Pitt,” Jolie’s lawyer, James Simon, said in a statement. “She and the kids gave up everything they shared with Mr. Pitt.” She has been working hard to bring peace and healing to their family since then. Simon said that Jolie is “tired,” but she is glad to have finished this chapter, even though it is “just one part of a long process that is still going on.”
After an alleged incident on a private plane, Jolie, 49, filed for divorce in September 2016, which was the start of their split. Pitt, who is 61 years old, was accused of hitting and choking one child, as well as reportedly grabbing Jolie by the head, during this event. Pitt has always denied these charges.
Lawsuits and claims from both sides made it hard to settle. The abuse by Pitt allegedly happened before the 2016 event, according to Jolie’s team in April. Business issues, especially the Château Miraval winery in France that they owned together, were also part of their arguments. Pitt said that Jolie broke his “contractual rights” when she sold her share without his permission. In response, Jolie’s lawyers said Pitt tried to make her sign a non-disclosure deal as a condition of the sale that would not let her talk about the alleged abuse.
A private judge was appointed as part of the divorce process, which was not expected. At first, this judge gave them shared custody of their six children. However, the decision was later overturned when Jolie brought up concerns about the judge’s hidden conflict of interest, which caused the process to start over.
The settlement stops the divorce process, but the deal details will not be shared with anyone else. The case’s outcome is still unknown since their winery is part of a different lawsuit.
This public divorce ends a 12-year relationship between two Oscar-winning actors once considered Hollywood’s most beautiful pair. Even though they were formally single in 2019, the years since then have been filled with ongoing talks about child custody and shared assets.
