Former Hollywood power couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were married for only two years. Then they spent four times as long undoing their union.
The Oscar winners, who were together for about 12 years before Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, reached a written settlement 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 each declared legally single in 2019, entered into a written agreement on their marital and property rights and gave up the right to any future spousal financial support.
Here’s a look at how the actors went from whirlwind romance to epic court battle.
Brangelina: The origin story
A single woman and a married man were cast as husband and wife in the 2005 movie “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” and soon after, “Brangelina” was born. With that movie-set origin story and the ensuing tabloid headlines, Jolie and Pitt immediately became one of the biggest power couples in Hollywood history.
Pitt had been married to “Friends” superstar Jennifer Aniston at the time, but her 2005 divorce from Pitt took less than a year, start to finishStill, it barely beat 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, then — finally — a wedding
After years of couplehood and lots of rumors that either a wedding or a breakup was on the way, the stars’ six children finally cajoled them into getting married. Despite fairy tale nuptials in 2014, the decision to exchange vows would turn out to be a big mistake. Huge.
The split happens — and 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 got contentious, including abuse allegations stemming from an incident on a private plane — Jolie filed for divorce just days later — and a subsequent probe by the FBI.
Bad blood
Despite minor efforts to make the breakup seem civil, the war between the two stars played out for years and included many episodes of family drama. The estranged couple ultimately enlisted a private judge to help work things out, a decision that helped keep some of the specifics out of the public eye.
2019: More revelations
While the two were declared legally single in 2019, the divorce itself remained unresolved.
2021: More battling
2022: And more
Still going in 2023
Into 2024
Final resolution?
The former couple entered into a written agreement to settle the divorce in the last week of 2024. But the other dispute, about the sale of half of Chateau Miraval, remains outstanding. A judge still needs to sign off on the agreement.
