Angelina Jolie's New Allegation Paints The Darkest Picture Of Her Marriage To Brad Pitt Yet
Once considered one of the strongest bonds in Hollywood, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's relationship became drama-filled and contentious just two years after they married. The couple's warring reportedly came to a head in 2016, during a flight back home on their private aircraft with their six children. But it appears this alleged incident may not have been the first.
According to FBI documents obtained by NBC News, Jolie accused Pitt of being intoxicated, as well as mentally and physically abusive to her. Pitt allegedly criticized her parenting and shook her violently by the head and shoulders before punching the ceiling of the plane, pouring beer on her, and telling the children she was "crazy." After the plane landed, Jolie accused Pitt of refusing to let her and the family get off the craft before he left. Divorce proceedings immediately followed.
This was widely acknowledged to be the last straw that set the Jolie-Pitt marriage to divorce court, but it seems there's still more to the story. People recently reported on details from a new court filing related to the sale of Château Miraval, the couple's jointly owned French villa and winery. The papers allege, "Pitt's history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before the family's September 2016 plane trip from France to Los Angeles." Jolie's team goes on to say the plane incident was "the first time he turned his physical abuse on the children as well," which spurred the actress to call it quits for good.
'Brangelina' are still battling in court
We may never know precisely why Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt got divorced, but theirs has turned out to be a painfully long and drawn-out affair. Not until 2021 — five years after the initial filing — was their child custody arrangement finalized, and even then Jolie objected to the 50/50 arrangement. The New York Post obtained a copy of a letter Jolie sent to California Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2023, in which she accused the presiding judge of being biased toward her ex, and of denying her six children the right to testify about their dad's alleged abuse.
Jolie's new claim of abuse is being presented in relation to the couple's ongoing battle over the sale of their French winery. Jolie sold her share to a Russian buyer, but Pitt backed out of his agreement to sell his share to her. Jolie's legal team is now claiming (via People) Pitt wanted Jolie to sign a restrictive NDA first, which would have banned her from discussing Pitt's alleged abuses. Her attorney added in a statement, "By refusing to buy her interest but then suing her, Mr. Pitt put directly at issue why that NDA was so important to him and what he hoped it would bury: his abuse of Ms. Jolie and their family." A friend of the "Fight Club" actor denied the accusations, calling them "misleading, inaccurate and/or irrelevant information as a distraction."
Will the Brad-and-Angie legal drama ever end? Not anytime soon, it seems.