Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Divorce: What to Know About Their Relationship

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt‘s divorce and custody proceedings are finally nearing getting underway, and it’s been a long road to this point. The pair are currently legally separated after Jolie filed for divorce five years ago. On April 12, 2019, the court restored each of them to single status, as their custody discussion got underway.

The former couple made massive cultural waves in the early 2000s just by being together, earning the celebrity nickname “Brangelina.” Photographers would go to great lengths just to snap photos of the pair and their family, with the first pictures of their twins Knox and Vivienne being jointly sold to People and Hello! for a reported $14 million. As big as fans were enamored with Jolie and Pitt’s relationship, they have been just as stunned over their split. Scroll down to read more about the ex-couple.

Early Years

Jolie and Pitt first reportedly fell in love while filming 2005’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith, while Pitt was still married to Jennifer Aniston. The following year they officially confirmed their relationship when it was announced that she was pregnant with their child, Shiloh, who was born in 2006.

Children

Prior to their relationship, Jolie had already adopted Maddox and Zahara. She adopted Pax in 2007, and Pitt eventually legally adopted all three children as his own as well. Jolie gave birth to the two youngest children, twins Knox and Vivienne, in 2008. The pair married in 2014, saying their I Do’s at their estate Château Miraval in Correns, France.

Divorce

In 2016, they separated, with Jolie filing for divorce by citing irreconcilable differences. At the time, the couple’s lawyer, Robert Offer, released a statement, saying, “This decision was made for the health of the family. She will not be commenting, and asks that the family be given its privacy at this time.”

Pitt Speaks Out

The divorce process has been quite lengthy, with domestic violence claims against Pitt emerging over the years. In 2017 gave a lengthy and revealing interview to GQ, even speaking about his struggle with alcohol addiction. “I stopped everything except boozing when I started my family. But even this last year, you know—things I wasn’t dealing with. I was boozing too much. It’s just become a problem,” he said.

Pitt continued, “I’m really happy it’s been half a year now, which is bittersweet, but I’ve got my feelings in my fingertips again. I had to step away for a minute. And truthfully I could drink a Russian under the table with his own vodka. I was a professional. I was good.”

Pitt Speaks Out (cont.)

Additionally, the Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood star discussed the custody issues he and Jolie were facing at the time. “I was really on my back and chained to a system when Child Services was called. And you know, after that, we’ve been able to work together to sort this out. We’re both doing our best,” he said. “I heard one lawyer say, ‘No one wins in court — it’s just a matter of who gets hurt worse.’ And it seems to be true.”

Finally, Pitt added, “You spend a year just focused on building a case to prove your point and why you’re right and why they’re wrong, and it’s just an investment in vitriolic hatred. I just refuse. And fortunately, my partner in this agrees. It’s just very, very jarring for the kids, to suddenly have their family ripped apart.”

Domestic Violence “Proof”

According to The Blast, court documents the outlet was able to obtain reveal that she is capable of providing “proof and authority in support” of the domestic violence claims. At this time, it does not appear that representatives for Pitt have responded to the report. In addition to Jolie’s testimony, there are also separate filings regarding testimony from the former couple’s youngest children: Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne.

The Blast notes that any testimony given by the three would have to be approved by both Jolie and Pitt, as they are all minors. However, the three oldest children — Maddox, Zahara, and Pax — could testify without the need for permission as they are all legal adults.

The domestic violence allegations stem from a 2016 incident in which it is claimed that Pitt and Maddox had an altercation while boarding a private jet, though no specific details of the incident have ever been officially shared. No criminal legal action was ever taken against Pitt regarding the allegations, but the claims can still be brought up in court for custody-argument purposes.

Custody Tesimony

Most recently, on March 18, it was reported that Maddox testified against Pitt in the custody case. A source told Us Weekly, “Maddox has already given testimony as [an] adult in the ongoing custody dispute and it wasn’t very flattering towards Brad.”

The source added, “He doesn’t use Pitt as his last name on documents that aren’t legal and instead uses Jolie. Maddox wants to legally change his last name to Jolie, which Angelina has said she doesn’t support.”

At this time, neither Pitt nor Jolie have publicly commented on the status of their divorce and custody proceedings.