Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: chronicle of a tumultuous divorce
Times are tough for Brad Pitt, recently involved in a (minor) car accident and forced to postpone - once again - his divorce from Angelina Jolie. We take a look back at the many twists and turns of the Brangelina affair.
Their divorce could be renamed "the never ending story." Separated since September 2016, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie extended the deadline again on Wednesday, Us Weekly revealed. The two actors, who have been battling for months to find an amicable agreement, have asked for an extension of the temporary divorce judgment. Their objective ? Find (finally) a common ground on the custody of their children and the sharing of their assets.
"They want it to remain in the private sphere and for everything to take place in a friendly atmosphere," reveals a source close to the magazine. They both refocused on their family. It has not been easy but they are determined to resolve this in private. " While awaiting the verdict, Angelina Jolie retains custody of their six children Shiloh, Maddox, Vivienne, Pax, Zahara and Knox Leon. Brad Pitt, meanwhile, enjoys regular visitation rights.
But this sudden lull struggles to make people forget the media storm caused by the duo in September 2016. For months, the couple tore themselves in the public square, without ever shedding light on the real reasons for their thunderous breakup. The opportunity to come back to the many twists and turns of this soap opera-like saga.
"Irreconcilable disputes"
September 20, 2016. The verdict falls like a cleaver. After eleven years of love, Angelina Jolie decides to end her relationship with Brad Pitt. Their collaboration on the set of By The Sea, intended to save their marriage, did not keep its promises. The actress initiates divorce proceedings, justified by "irreconcilable differences". She is asking for full custody of her children, with visitation rights only, for their father. When Ms. Jolie evokes "the health of her family" in a statement from her lawyer Robert Offer, Mr. Pitt says "saddened by this choice", but "concerned about the well-being of his children" in the columns of People magazine. Speculation is rife on the origins of this brutal separation.
As is customary, a source close to the couple was quick to comment on the event in the columns of Us Weekly magazine. And brings a beginning of explanation to the case: "They have argued a lot in recent years and they disagreed on a lot of things," confides the witness. The arguments escalated and they did not come to an agreement on their children's education. " Not to mention the "schedule" problems and their "political disagreements," adds the couple's indiscreet friend.
Hollywood is on fire
Faced with the chain reactions to the news, the actress's manager, Geyer Kosinski, tempers the impulses: “Angelina will always do what is best in the best interests of her family. She will appreciate everyone's understanding of their need for privacy at this time. " Privacy, there will be no question. Planet Hollywood is no exception to the Jolie-Pitt tidal wave. "It's the end of an era," laments singer Adele, after dedicating her New York concert to the couple. For her part, Chrissy Teigen wonders bluntly "how she will be able to work" after this terrible news.
Worse yet: George Clooney, the duo's best friend, hears the news during the UN Refugee Summit. Devastated, he voices his amazement - feigned or not - into CNN's microphone: “What happened? I did not know. I am very sorry for them then. It’s a sad and unhappy story for a family. ” After the amazement comes suspicion. Jennifer Aniston, married to Brad Pitt from 2000 to 2005, could she be at the origin of this rupture? Courteney Cox then takes the lead: no, this story has nothing to do with her friend and partner in the Friends series. Comments confirmed by Justin Theroux, the current husband of the legendary Rachel, who calls the rumor "nonsense". The case is far from over, however.
Jennifer Aniston and Marion Cotillard, in the eye of the storm
Little by little, eyes turn away from Jennifer Anniston to focus on… Marion Cotillard. The French actress, who is credited with an affair with Brad Pitt on the set of Allies, responds to her detractors by announcing her pregnancy on Instagram. And put an end to the rumors, while praying that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt "find peace."
However, at the end of February 2017, the rumors set off again. The one who divorced Jennifer Aniston for the beautiful eyes of his partner on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith is said to have made contact with his former partner again. Us Weekly reported that the actor picked up his ex-wife's number to wish him a happy birthday. But the story will end there, with the beauty's husband "agreeing" that the two stars "remain friends." “Jen just wants to be nice,” added an anonymous source.
The FBI investigation
On September 24, People magazine’s revelations were like a bombshell. Brad Pitt is reportedly under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department for "child abuse". According to an anonymous source, the actor became "verbally" and "physically" violent with one of his children on September 14, 2016, while the Jolie-Pitt's were traveling in a private jet. The authorities' report would indicate that the father of the family was heavily alcoholic. Allegations immediately denied by the LAPD: "We are not investigating this case," said police. The FBI has also announced that it is carrying out its own investigations.
On October 18, federal agents questioned the Salt actress for four hours about the private jet incident. The next day, they devote another three hours of interview to Angelina Jolie and her six children. The file must be closed on October 20. But the case sees new twists: five days later, the FBI asks to continue the investigation. Investigators "are looking for any other incidents that might suggest a history of abuse that involves more than one child of the couple." On November 9, Us Weekly reveals that Brad Pitt is cleared. On November 22, the investigation was finally closed by the FBI.
Screening and guard duty
In order not to overshadow the film, Brad Pitt cancels his appearance at the premiere of Voyage of Time, by Terrence Malick. The actor will do anything to prove his good faith. He hires famous lawyer Lance Spiegel and even offers to take a drug test. For her part, Angelina Jolie hires crisis manager Judy Smith - the one who inspired the character of Olivia Pope in the series Scandal. The actress wants at all costs to avoid leaks in the press and the over-media coverage of her divorce. A battle lost in advance.
On September 30, 2016, the Brangelina reached a temporary agreement - valid for three weeks - on the custody of their children. The latter will live with Angelina Jolie, and Brad Pitt will have regular visiting rights. His first visit should however be chaperoned by a family therapist. Eight days later, the Inglorious Basterds star visits his ex-wife's home. Obviously, his altercation with Maddox, 16, has left its mark. The teenager did not wish to be present. The actor will not see his son again until October 20, in the presence of the aforementioned therapist. On November 4, 2016, Brad Pitt claimed joint custody of his children, which led to a new out-of-court settlement three days later. The actor does not reach his goal. He will nevertheless spend Christmas with his family.
The confrontation
On December 22, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie clash through proxy counsel. Defenders of the actor are asking for the testimony of his children, held by the FBI, to be sealed. All on the grounds that the recordings endanger the privacy of the family. They accuse Angelina Jolie's lawyers of breaking the original privacy agreement by revealing the name of their therapist. Brad Pitt is furious.
The answer is not long in coming. According to Angelina Jolie's team, the comedian only wants to cover up these details because he is "terrified that the audience will find out the truth." Overwhelmed by the media coverage of the events, the duo ended up issuing a joint statement, declaring that all documents relating to the divorce will be kept secret, in order to preserve their privacy. On February 19, 2017, Angelina Jolie, appeased, confides in front of the BBC cameras: "We are a family and we will always be, we will go through these trials and with a little luck we will become a stronger family", advance- she then. A month later, magazines around the world reveal that the couple have settled - temporarily - their differences: "They have come to a point where they can put their anger and their wounds aside to focus on their children," says one. near source.
Towards a possible reconciliation?
In May 2017, Brad Pitt confided in a strange interview to say the least, published in the columns of GQ magazine. He talks about his therapy, his alcohol problems, and especially his relationship with Angelina Jolie, whom he says nothing but good things about. Twist: three months later, the duo suspended their divorce. "They haven't done anything to move forward in the last few months and no one thinks they will," said a friend of the couple. Everyone thinks they're going to get back together. "
From there to considering reconciliation, there is only one step. However, the couple’s relationship is far from being in good shape. In early August, Angelina Jolie failed to invite Brad Pitt to Maddox's birthday party. And after Miraval, the family castle, was put up for sale, the actress acquired a brand new villa in Los Angeles to supposedly keep her six children away from the actor. A source has even told Entertainment Tonight that the process has stalled because the two actors find no common ground. Divorce is still on the cards.
In September 2017, the actress also spoke in the US edition of Vanity Fair magazine. She then looks back on what she calls "the hardest moment" of her life. Before expressing the former couple's top priority: to guarantee their six children "wonderful opportunities". During the interview, Angelina Jolie also reveals that she developed facial paralysis from stress. For his part, Brad Pitt, very thin, had taken a passion for sculpture and rarely left his studio - not even to attend the Oscars in March 2017. In short, morale is not good at the Jolie-Pitt's.
A divorce "at the end of February"
Since then, the actor seems to have recovered. In January 2018, a witness told Page Six that the actor hit on a young woman before his eyes, claiming to be William. Either William Bradley Pitt's real first name. Over the past year, magazines have lent her an affair with Sandra Bullock and Sienna Miller, and even a baby with Kate Hudson. None of them have yet been confirmed. His divorce from Angelina Jolie is said to be on the verge of finalization. "Either way, they are close to an amicable agreement on the children," a source close to Gala told Gala on Thursday. They are in better shape and should settle this divorce by the end of February. " A chance for the former Hollywood couple to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
