Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie reach divorce settlement after 8 years
One of the longest and most tumultuous celebrity divorces in Hollywood history is finally over.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie reached a divorce settlement, signing a default declaration filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, the Associated Press reports. This comes eight years after the Maria and Eternals star, 49, filed to end her two-year marriage to Pitt, 61.
“More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr. Pitt,” Jolie’s lawyer, James Simon, told Entertainment Weekly in a statement, which was first reported by PEOPLE. “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. This is just one part of a long ongoing process that started eight years ago. Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved this one part is over.
A source close to the matter shares with EW that Jolie “doesn’t speak ill of him publicly or privately” and that “she’s been trying hard to be light after a dark time.”
“The kids have grown up seeing that some people have so much power and privilege that their voices don’t matter. Their pain doesn’t count,” the source continues. “They have wanted her to speak up for herself, to defend herself over these years but she reminds them to focus on changing laws over telling public stories.”
EW reached out to Pitt’s lawyer for comment.
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It doesn’t seem to be the end of all the former couple’s legal battles, however. Jolie filed to dissolve their marriage on Sept. 19, 2016, following a flight on a private jet wherein she claims Pitt physically abused her and their children. The F.B.I. and child services became involved and, after two months, the F.B.I. announced they dropped their investigation. No charges were filed against Pitt.
In 2022, an F.B.I. report on the incident, obtained and reviewed by EW, mentioned “a representative of the United States Attorney’s Office discussed the merits of this investigation” and “it was agreed by all parties that criminal charges in this case would not be pursued due to several factors.” According to the AP, the child services investigation did not find abuse and was also closed in 2016.
A judge declared Pitt and Jolie divorced in 2019, though the division of assets and child custody needed to be settled separately. Since then, four of their six children became adults. Custody now only pertains to their 16-year-old twins, Knox and Vivienne. This past June, their daughter Shiloh successfully petitioned to remove Pitt’s name from hers. Her lawyer said she “made an independent and significant decision following painful events.”
The AP notes how Pitt and Jolie’s new filing states both parties gave up the right to any future spousal financial support, though few other details were mentioned in writing.
This article has been updated with additional statements.
