Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's Divorce: Inside Their 8-Year Legal Battle

Mar. 15, 2025

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in 2015.Photo:Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Brad PittandAngelina Jolie’s marriage is officially over.

TheBullet Trainactor andEternalsactress first met on the set of 2005’sMr. & Mrs. Smithand began dating a couple of years later. The two sharesix childrentogether — Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne — with Pitt adopting Maddox and Zahara in 2006 after he began dating Jolie.

On Aug. 23, 2014, the former couple tied the knot in an intimate wedding in the French village of Correns. However, after a decade together and two years of marriage, the pair’s relationship came to an end when Joliefiled for divorceon Sept. 20, 2016.

“I heard one lawyer say, ’No one wins in court — it’s just a matter of who gets hurt worse,’ ” Pitt toldGQin 2017, a year into their divorce proceedings. “And it seems to be true, you spend a year just focused on building a case to prove your point and why you’re right and why they’re wrong, and it’s just an investment in vitriolic hatred. I just refuse. And fortunately my partner in this agrees.”

Eight years later, their contentious legal battle came to an end in December 2024 when ajudge signed off on Pitt and Jolie’s divorce. However, a separate lawsuit regarding their previously joint French winery is still ongoing.

From their initial plane incident to their current custody agreement, here’s why Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s divorce took eight years to be finalized.

Jolie filed for divorce after an incident with Pitt on their private plane in 2016

Angelina Jolie attends the opening night of “The Outsiders” at The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on April 11, 2024 in New York City ; Brad Pitt attends the Los Angeles premiere of Columbia Pictures' “Bullet Train” at Regency Village Theatre on August 01, 2022.Bruce Glikas/Getty; Jon Kopaloff/Getty

Bruce Glikas/Getty; Jon Kopaloff/Getty

On Sept. 14, 2016, Jolie and Pitt got into analleged physical altercationon a private plane ride with their six kids from France to their home in Los Angeles. In heavily redacted FBI documents released six years later in 2022, Jolie claimed that Pitt’s actions made her feel “like a hostage” on the plane as he allegedly grabbed and shook her, pushed her into a wall and punched the ceiling of the aircraft.

She further alleged that he looked “like he was going to attack” one of her children after they called him a “prick” during the alleged fight. Jolie also admitted to wrapping her arms around Pitt’s neck in a chokehold style.

Three days after the incident, Jolie filed for divorce, listing their date of separation as Sept. 15, one day after the plane ride.

“This decision was made for the health of the family,” Jolie’s lawyer said at the time. “She will not be commenting at this time, and asks that the family be given their privacy during this difficult time.”

Jolie and Pitt were declared legally single three years after filing for divorce

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie attend a private reception as costumes and props from Disney’s “Maleficent” are exhibited in support of Great Ormond Street Hospital at Kensington Palace on May 8, 2014 in London, England.Fred Duval/FilmMagic

Fred Duval/FilmMagic

In April 2019, a judge ruled that Jolie and Pitt could go back to beinglegally singlebefore finalizing their divorce settlement. Known as bifurcation, the move meant both actors could engage in other relationships and even get married.

The decision to award Pitt with more time with his children was reversed in 2021

Angelina Jolie attends the The 77th Annual Tony Awards on June 16, 2024 in New York City ; Brad Pitt attends the premiere of 20th Century Fox’s “Ad Astra” at The Cinerama Dome on September 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty; Amy Sussman/Getty

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty; Amy Sussman/Getty

Pitt was granted more time with his children in May 2021. However, thedecision was reversedjust two months later after a three-judge paneldisqualified the former couple’s judge, John Ouderkirk, from the case for a violation of his “ethical obligations.”

The Second District Court of Appeal in California sided with Jolie, ruling that Ouderkirk could be biased in his rulings as he had a previous business relationship with Pitt’s attorneys that he did not disclose in a timely manner.

“Brad believes there is overwhelming evidence that the current situation isn’t good for the kids,” a source close to Pitt told PEOPLE at the time. “This just sets things back for everyone.”

In October 2021, Jolie sold her stake in her and Pitt’s joint winery — and Pitt promptly sued her for it

Brad Pitt and 2015 Entertainment Innovator Angelina Jolie Pitt attend the WSJ. Magazine 2015 Innovator Awards at the Museum of Modern Art on November 4, 2015 in New York City.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

The former couple jointly owned a $164 million French estate and winery, Château Miraval, at which they got married. In October 2021, Jolie chose to sell her stake in the winery to Tenute del Mondo, the wine division of the Stoli Group. A month before the sale, Jolie wascleared to proceedafter she was previously prevented from doing so during her divorce proceedings.

“Jolie pursued and then consummated the purported sale in secret, purposely keeping Pitt in the dark, and knowingly violating Pitt’s contractual rights,” the filing read.

Pitt and Jolie have argued in court over whether he wanted her to sign an NDA

Angelina Jolie Pitt and Brad Pitt attend the after party for the opening night gala premiere of Universal Pictures' “By the Sea” during AFI FEST 2015 on November 5, 2015 in Hollywood, California.Michael Kovac/Getty

Michael Kovac/Getty

A source close to Jolie claimed that Pitt’s lawsuit regarding the winery is a response to Jolie’srefusal to sign a non-disclosure agreementthat would prevent her from talking about previous domestic abuse claims.

“The reality is that Pitt refused to complete the Miraval sale with Jolie unless she agreed to being silenced about the abuse as he demanded that $8.5 million be held back to force her to keep quiet,” the source claimed.

They continued, “Ms. Jolie had no interest in speaking about what happened. In fact, she has not done so even once, and instead she devoted her life to helping the children heal and to advocating to fix the very broken domestic violence response system in America. The only reason any of this has come out now is because Mr. Pitt decided to sue her for not agreeing to keep quiet.”

A source close to Pitt denied that the Miraval lawsuit had anything to do with the divorce or his children, arguing that no NDA surrounding his personal matters existed.

“Brad requested a mutual NDA and non-disparagement strictly related to Miraval over concerns around sensitive financial information and protecting the brand, which is standard with these types of transactions,” the source said.

Pitt has visits with his minor children

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrive at the 84th Annual Academy Awards on February 26, 2012 in Hollywood, California.Jason Merritt/Getty

Jason Merritt/Getty

Today, Pitt has “virtually no contact” with his older children, but still has visitation rights with his younger kids, twins Vivienne and Knox, per a source close to theOnce Upon a Time in Hollywoodactor.

“His engagement with the younger kids is more limited in recent months because of his filming schedule," the source said, referring to Pitt’s shooting of his upcoming racing movieF1in Europe. “[Angelina] has the kids most of the time, but per their agreement, he has visitation with the younger kids.”

Jolie and Pitt don’t speak about each other in the press

Both Jolie and Pitt had large press runs in August 2024 as they geared up for the release of the former’sMariaand the latter’sWolfs. In the interviews leading up to the premiere of both films, Jolie and Pitt bothdeclined to speak about the other,with Jolie blatantly telling aThe Hollywood Reporterwriter “No” when she was asked if the reporter could ask about her divorce.

“You could have this messy private process and the work spoke,” Jolie said of Hollywood years ago.“Now, the audience’s relationship is different. I’m trying to get used to what to share.”

In his profile withGQ, out the same month, Pitt also did not speak of Jolie. The actress did, however, mention that sheplanned on moving from Los Angelesafter the youngest of her children turned 18 and she legally could.

“I grew up in this town. I am here because I have to be here from a divorce, but as soon as they’re 18, I’ll be able to leave,” said Jolie.

Pitt and Jolie finalized their divorce in December 2024

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in 2014.Ethan Miller/WireImage

After nearly a decade of legal fighting, ajudge signed off on Pitt and Jolie’s divorceon Dec. 30, 2024.

“Angelina 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," the actress' lawyer James Simon told PEOPLE in a statement. “Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved this one part is over.”

source: people.com