Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt: an overview of their relationship and separation - from 2004 to the divorce

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt: an overview of their relationship and separation

andare arguably the most iconic Hollywood couple of the 2000s. Not only were both of them on the “Sexiest People Alive” lists, with the separation drama surrounding Brad Pitt’s ex-wife, but also through their numerous adoptions, the two regularly made a lot of headlines.

And even though their divorce was a while ago in 2016, the former power couple still appears in the gossip column every now and then. Now mainly because of various legal disputes and unpleasant details that have come to light about the behavior of family man Brad Pitt. But how did the two's romance start again? And why exactly did the two fight so intensely for custody of the children? Angelina Jolie's and Brad Pitt's milestones– as well as theirs– you can find an overview here.

Sommer 2004:Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt get to know each other while filming their spy thrillerknow. Although they initially denied relationship rumors, both later admitted that they had already fallen in love with each other. It's no wonder that they initially kept it quiet - Brad Pitt was still married to Jennifer Aniston at the time of the first dating rumors.

January 2005:In the wake of the Brangelina rumors, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston announce their separation after five years of marriage.

March 2005:Jennifer Aniston officially files for divorce from Brad Pitt. The official reason for the press: “irreconcilable differences”.

July 2005:The striking proof: After Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were spotted vacationing together in Kenya in April, they appeared in an extensive issue ofIn Magazinewith the romantic title “Domestic Bliss”. That same month, Jolie adopted six-month-old Zahara from Ethiopia. Brad Pitt accompanies her on the trip.

January 2006:Brangelina confirm they are expecting their first child together just three months after Brad Pitt's divorce from Jennifer Aniston. A judge also grants a request to change Maddox and Zahara's last names to Jolie-Pitt, and soon after, Brad Pitt's adoptions of the children become legal.

May 2006:Shiloh Jolie-Pitt was born in Namibia. A month later she is on the front page of the for the first timePeople Magazineto see.

October 2006:Brad Pitt announces that he and Angelina Jolie won't get married until everyone in the US can get married - showing that he and Angelina stand for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community.

December 2006:Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie make their red carpet debut at the NYC premiere of Angelina Jolie's film “The Good Shepherd” comparatively late.

March 2007:Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie travel to Vietnam to adopt three-year-old Pax, the newest member of the Jolie-Pitts.

February 2008:Brangelina come to the Independent Spirit Awards with some news: Angelina is pregnant again.

May 2008:At the Cannes Film Festival it was announced that Angelina was expecting twins.

July 2008:Twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline were born in Nice, France, in July and made their first front page appearance a month laterPeople Magazineto see. “It's chaos, but we're having a wonderful time and managing it,” says Angelina about life as a family of six.

December 2009:The book about Brangelina “The Untold Story of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie” by Ian Halperon is published. In it, the author (who claims to have consulted nearly 900 sources) makes many shocking allegations - including that Brad cheated on Angelina.

July 2010:After theNews of the Worldpublished a report that Brad and Angelina had separated in February 2010, the couple sued the newspaper over the false report and won in court.

November 2010:This time it's marriage rumors that are making the rounds after Johnny Depp appeared in an article in theVanity Fair referred to Brad Pitt as Angelina’s “husband.”

April 2012:It's official: Angelina Jolie is starting to wear a reportedly $1 million engagement ring from Brad Pitt. And Brad Pitt's manager confirms the news: "Yes, it's official. It is a promise for the future and her children are very happy.”

May 2013:In a guest article in theNew York TimesAngelina Jolie reveals that she decided to have a preventative mastectomy, i.e. the removal of both breasts, after she lost her mother to breast cancer and she was also diagnosed with the gene for the cancer. She writes: “I am lucky to have a partner who supports me in this difficult journey. “I know I’m doing the right thing for my family,” says Angelina.

August 2014:They are married: The couple gets married at their Chateau Miraval in France, where all six children take part in the ceremony. Maddox and Pax walk their mother down the aisle, Zahara and Vivienne are flower girls, and Shiloh and Knox are ring bearers.

November 2014:Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are working on their first film together since “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” a relationship drama titled “By the Sea.”

March 2015:In a second article in theNew York TimesAngelina Jolie reveals that she decided to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed after an annual blood test revealed markers that could be "a sign of early cancer."

August 2016:Angelina Jolie files for divorce from Brad Pitt, citing “irreconcilable differences.” She is seeking sole custody of their six children, and the couple's lawyer, Robert Offer, issued a statement: "This decision was made for the good of the family. She will not be commenting and asks that the family maintain their privacy at this time.”

June 2018:The couple agree to a temporary custody order that will allow Brad Pitt to visit and talk on the phone with his children while the family is in London, where Angelina Jolie is finishing filming "Maleficent." A judge ruled that Brad Pitt can have "unsupervised" phone calls and text conversations with each of the children and set a schedule that would allow Brad Pitt to spend time with the children without Angelina Jolie's presence but with a therapist, like thatPeople Magazinereported. He then receives custody of the children in Los Angeles for part of July. This only applies to the five youngest children; Maddox is 16 years old at the time, and the judge decides that he can decide how much time he wants to spend with his father.

April 2019:As of October 2022, the divorce is still not finalized, but in April 2019, a judge declares both Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt "legally single," which they had filed for in 2018. According to thatPeople MagazineThis legal maneuver allows both parties to pay taxes separately rather than jointly as a married couple.

June 2020:Angelina Jolie tells oppositeVogue India, that she still thinks separating from Brad Pitt was the “right decision,” but that the rumors that were circulating about her family made her sad. “I continue to focus on our healing,” she says in an interview. “Some have taken advantage of my silence and the children see lies about themselves in the media, but I regularly remind them that they know their own truth.”

June 2020:Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are causing a stir after he was spotted outside their home in late June. “Brad and Angelina have come a very long way and are finally at a point where they want to co-parent their children,” a source saidEntertainment Tonight. “However, a reconciliation is not in the stars, any communication between them only concerns the needs and future of their children,” adds the source.

October 2021:Maddox, Vivienne, Knox, Shiloh and Zahara Jolie-Pitt accompany their mother to the premiere of “Marvel's Eternals”. Brad Pitt hasn't been seen with the kids in months.

August 2022:After speaking together on Capitol Hill in February about the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, Angelina Jolie accompanied her daughter Zahara to an event for Spelman Collage freshmen - the university Zahara chose for her post-secondary education. While promoting his film “Bullet Train,” Brad Pitt praises how far Zahara has come: “I’m proud of her. She's so smart. And I’m sure she’ll only blossom even more in college.”

October 2022:Brad Pitt is dating the newly divorced Emily Ratajkowski and the legal battle with Angelina Jolie over their shared shares in the Chateau Miraval winery is in full swing. Brad Pitt launches a skincare line while Angelina Jolie uses her platform to advocate for orphans in Ukraine, flood victims in Pakistan and brave women in Iran. During the legal battle, rumors also come to light about a disastrous plane trip between the Jolie-Pitts, which apparently led to the extended custody battle shortly after their divorce. Brad Pitt is said to have physically attacked both Angelina Jolie and his children while drunk.

November 2023:Zahara, now 18 years old, is accepted into the “Alpha Kappa Alpha” sorority at Spelman College in Atlanta. An important day and an important community because Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first fraternity in the United States made up entirely of Black women. In a video that shows Zahara officially introducing the new fraternity members, instead of giving her full name “Zahara Marley Jolie Pitt,” she simply introduces herself as “Zahara Marley Jolie.” And the internet is speculating: Is this the first sign that Brad Pitt's children want to officially distance themselves from their father?

April 2024:As the “Daily Mail” reportsthe end of the legal dispute between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pittfinally clear after 8 years of negotiations. It is assumed that (after all the necessary adjustments and bureaucratic processes) the resolution of the dispute is expected for the summer of 2024.

The decisive turning point in the Jolie vs. Pitt process is thisBrad Pitt waives joint custodyfor the ex-couple's 6 children. However, it must be said that this can now almost be seen as a symbolic concession, after all, the “children” have long since become young adults: Maddox is 22, Pax 20, Zahara 19,. And even the youngest kids from “Brangelina”, the twins Knox and Vivienne, are now almost 16.

And there could be another reason behind Brad Pitt's concession regarding custody. Namely that a few of his children seem to be distancing themselves from their father for some time. Like yourselfhad no longer allowed herself to be addressed by her father's last name. Or an emotional one as a pax for Father's Day 2020-Posted saying his father would never understand the pain he had caused the family.

May 2024: no longer wants to use her father's last name. On her 18th birthday, she submitted the relevant documents requesting a name change to the authorities in Los Angeles.

June 2024:And Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's next daughter is foregoing her famous father's last name. Performed at the Tony Awards, the awards show for achievements in the performing artsonly as Vivienne Jolie. She stars in the musical “The Outsiders,” produced by her mother Angelina Jolie. For this she has now been awarded the prestigious Tony Award. This means that the last “Brangelina” daughter after Zahara and Shiloh has given up her father’s surname.

September 2024: made their red carpet debut at the Venice Film Festival. Shortly before that, they are said to have vacationed at the French winery Chateau Miraval. The winery, which is still in the legal battle between him and ex-wife Angelina Jolie.

Brad Pitt presents his new action comedy “Wolfs”, in which he and his old friend George Clooney play the main roles. Angelina Jolie is also in Venice to present her film “Maria,” in which she plays opera legend Maria Callas. Already in the run-up to the film festival it was said that the ex-couple's times had been deliberately arranged so that the two did not have to be at the festival at the same time.

January 2025:Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were finally able to finalize their divorce - well, at least they're one step further. Because it is still unclear who will own the Château Miraval winery in France in the future.

What is certain is that both Hollywood stars signed the divorce papers on December 30, 2024 after an eight-year divorce war. What is also certain in January 2025 is that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt will continue to fight over one thing: Château Miraval. The two bought the winery in Provence together in 2008. Since then, not only has rosé wine been produced there, but it is also considered the twins' first home and the wedding venue of the former celebrity couple. LoudSouth German newspaperAngelina Jolie associates the Château with much more than just a winery. The daily quotes an email from Jolie from 2021: For her, it would be “a place where I thought I would grow old. But it is also the place that marks the beginning of the end for our family.”

The winery symbolizes the divorce of the two stars, which was marked by lawsuits and counterclaims. The signatures of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt on the divorce papers make both of them officially single again, but as long as it is unclear who will own Château Miraval, the final battle in this seemingly never-ending divorce war has not yet been won (or lost, depending on who you ask).