Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have agreed to a divorce deal eight years after the lengthy legal battle began.
Jolie’s lawyer confirmed the settlement, but the legal team of Pitt, 61, are yet to comment, reports the Associated Press.
The couple married at Chateau Miraval in 2014 after they first met on the set of Mr and Mrs Smith in 2005. After two years of marriage, Jolie, 49, filed for divorce on grounds of irreconcilable differences.
The actors then entered a battle over custody of their six children, and division of the financial assets.
On December 30, the divorce paperwork was signed and Jolie’s lawyer James Simon told Daily Mail that she is ‘relieved this one part is over.’
He continued: ‘Frankly, Angelina is exhausted. More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr Pitt. She and the children left all of the properties they had shared with Mr Pitt, and since that time she has focused on finding peace and healing for their family.’
Brangelina marriage
Jolie and Pitt met while filming Mr and Mrs Smith together in 2005 – at the time, the latter was married to Jennifer Aniston, while the Changeling actress had previously walked up the aisle with Billy Bob Thornton and Jonny Lee Miller.
They went on to welcome daughter Shiloh together the following year, and are also parents to Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Vivienne and Knox.
Nearly a decade after they first started dating, they wed at their Chateau Miraval vineyard in France, and the battle over its ownership continues.
Angelina files for divorce
In 2016, the world was shocked when Jolie filed for divorce, ending her marriage to Pitt after just two years.
Their split came after a private jet flight from France to California, during which it was alleged that the Bullet Train star was abusive towards his ex and their children.
Authorities investigated the incident but did not decide to charge him – details of the allegations emerged in 2022.
In 2019, a judge declared them divorced and single, but the settling of their assets and child custody had to be decided separately.
Speaking to the Guardian’s Weekend Magazine in 2021, the mom-of-six made a rare comment about what led to their break-up.
‘I’m not the kind of person who makes decisions like the decisions I had to make lightly,’ she vowed at the time. ‘It took a lot for me to be in a position where I felt I had to separate from the father of my children.’
Shedding light on how the then-five years between their split had impacted her, she added: ‘I mean, in some ways, it’s been the last decade. There’s a lot I can’t say.’
Kids change their names
In the fall out from the messy split, a few of their children have opted to change their names.
In May, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt filed documents to drop her famous dad’s surname shortly after she turned 18.
She later announced her intention via an advert in the Los Angeles Times, per California law, and attended a hearing in August, where the change was made official.
Vivienne also appears to have dropped her dad’s last name, while Zahara reportedly introduced herself as Zahara Markey Jolie while joining Spelman College’s Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Chateau Miraval
As part of the divorce proceedings, in October 2021, Jolie sold her half of their shared winery for $67million (£51million) after verbal discussions fell through.
This sale – to Russian-born billionaire Yuri Shefler’s Stoli Group – led Pitt to accuse his ex-wife of trying to ‘intentionally damage’ his reputation, and he also insisted he had first refusal on her share.
By selling to a company ultimately owned by Uri Shefler, Pitt argued the brand became linked to Russia, its homophobic laws, and the war against Ukraine, potentially tarnishing Chateau Miraval’s name.
Although their divorce is now finalized, they are still locked in a bitter battle over the winery.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's relationship timeline
Movie meeting
In 2003 the actors were cast as the lead roles in Mr and Mrs Smith – a movie about a married couple, who were both assassins (but unaware each other are in the same field).
Speculation began that romance were brewing on the movie set, but Brad Pitt was married to Friends star Jennifer Aniston.
Angelina Jolie later told Vogue: ‘Because of the film, we ended up being brought together to do all these crazy things, and I think we found this strange friendship and partnership that kind of just suddenly happened. I think a few months in I realised, “God, I can’t wait to get to work.”
‘Anything we had to do with each other, we just found a lot of joy in it together and a lot of real teamwork. We just became kind of a pair.’
Brad and Jennifer split
When they announced their divorce in 2005, Pitt and Aniston denied it was linked to the rumours.
‘We would like to announce that after seven years together we have decided to formally separate. For those who follow these sorts of things, we would like to explain that our separation is not the result of any of the speculation reported by the tabloid media. This decision is the result of much thoughtful consideration,’ their joint statement read.
However, when W magazine published a spread titled Domestic Bliss a few months later, Aniston said there was a ‘sensitivity chip’ missing.
Starting a family
In the summer of 2005, Pitt joined Jolie on a trip to Ethiopia, where she adopted her second child Zahara.
The following year, the couple filed a name-change petition for Maddox and Zahara. Their surnames become Jolie-Pitt, and the legal adoptions of the children were finalised soon after. Angelina gave birth to Shiloh in the same year, and in March 2007, Pax also joined the family.
Their brood continued to expand with the arrival of twins, Vivienne and Knox in July 2008. ‘It is chaos, but we are managing it and having a wonderful time,’ Angelina told People.
Wedding bells
Angelina begins wearing a diamond ring, reportedly worth around $1 million (£800,000) in 2012, and confirms their engagement.
Two years later, they married at their Chateau Miraval in France, with all six of their children in attendance.
However, in 2016, it was all over after Pitt was accused of being drunk and aggressive during a flight from France to California. Authorities did not charge him after investigating.
‘Angelina Jolie Pitt has filed for dissolution of the marriage. This decision was made for the health of the family. She will not be commenting at this time, and asks that the family be given their privacy during this difficult time,’ Angelina’s attorney told People.
While Pitt said: ‘I am very saddened by this, but what matters most now is the well being of our kids. I kindly ask the press to give them the space they deserve during this challenging time.’
Jolie and Pitt later released a joint statement declaring that they would keep all divorce proceedings private for the sake of their children.
They said: ‘The parties and their counsel have signed agreements to preserve the privacy rights of their children and family by keeping all court documents confidential and engaging a private judge to make any necessary legal decisions and to facilitate the expeditious resolution of any remaining issues. The parents are committed to act as a united front to effectuate recovery and reunification.’
Lengthy legal battle
After their separation, they began battling it out for custody of their children and the division of their financial assets.
They were declared officially single in 2019, but things got more complicated.
In May 2021, Judge John Ouderkirk awarded Pitt more time with their children, but this was reversed just months later due to a judge being accused of violating ‘ethical obligations’. They had business relationships with Pitt’s attorney, and Jolie argued that this could make his rulings biased.
As part of the proceedings, in October 2021, the Maleficent star sold her half of their shared winery, known as Château Miraval, for $67million (£51 million) after verbal discussions fell through. Pitt sued her in response, claiming she violated a previous agreement. He alleged that Jolie didn’t get his permission before selling to the Stoli Group. Pitt claimed they had an agreement that they would get each other’s permission, but Jolie denied having this in place.
On December 30 2024, they’ve now reached a divorce deal. The negotiations over Château Miraval continue.
In the fall out from their messy split a few of the pair’s children have opted to change their names. In May, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt filed documents to drop her famous dad’s surname shortly after she turned 18, while Vivienne also appears to have dropped her dad’s last name.
Brangelina move on
Pitt has now moved on with jewelry designer Ines de Ramon, 34, who he has been dating for almost two years.
They were first linked in 2022 and have made rare public appearances together since then – they attended the British Grand Prix together earlier this summer.
‘Brad and Ines are doing very well,’ an insider told Entertainment Tonight after the F1.
‘Ines lets Brad take the lead and is happy to just hang out with him or accompany him to events for work and so on.
‘Brad views his relationship with Ines as a fresh start and they’re really happy together.’
Jolie has kept her love life firmly behind closed doors, but is said to be dating rapper Akala.
Metro has contacted reps for Jolie and Pitt for a comment.
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