Former Hollywood power couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were married for just two years. Then it took them four times longer to undo their union.
The Oscar winners, who were together for about 12 years before Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, reached a written agreement on Monday that finally ended one of the longest and most contentious splits in Hollywood history. In it, the “Girl Interrupted” and “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” stars, who share six children and were declared legally single in 2019, signed a written agreement regarding their marital and property rights and resigned. the right to any future spousal financial support.
Here's a look at how the actors went from a whirlwind romance to an epic court battle.
Brangelina: The Origin Story
A single woman and a married man were cast as husband and wife in the 2005 film “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”, and shortly after “Brangelina” was born. With that origin story setting the film and the sensational headlines that followed, Jolie and Pitt immediately became one of the most powerful couples in Hollywood history.
Pitt had been married to “Friends” superstar Jennifer Aniston at the time, but her divorce from Pitt in 2005 took less than a year, from start to finish. Still, it barely surpassed the 2006 arrival of Shiloh Jolie-Pitt and Pitt's adoption of Jolie's children, Pax and Maddox. Three more children would follow.
Lots of rumors and then finally a wedding.
After years of dating and many rumors that a wedding or a breakup was coming, the stars' six children finally convinced them to get married. Despite the fairytale nuptials in 2014, the decision to exchange vows would prove to be a big mistake. Enormous.
The split happens and it quickly turns ugly
The world was shocked (well, mostly shocked) when the couple announced their separation in 2016 after two years of marriage. Things quickly became contentious, including allegations of abuse stemming from an incident on a private plane (Jolie filed for divorce just days later) and a subsequent investigation by the FBI.
Bad blood
Despite small efforts to make the breakup seem civil, the war between the two stars dragged on for years and included many episodes of family drama. The estranged couple eventually enlisted a private judge to help resolve things, a decision that helped keep some of the details out of the public eye.
2019: More revelations
While the two were declared legally single in 2019, the divorce itself remained unresolved.
2021: more battles
2022: and more
Still in 2023
Towards 2024
Final resolution?
The former couple reached a written agreement to resolve the divorce in the last week of 2024. But the other dispute, over the sale of half of Chateau Miraval, remains pending. A judge still needs to approve the agreement.
