Summary
- In 2016, Angelina Jolie accused Brad Pitt of abuse, leading to their divorce - with unreleased tapes complicating matters.
- A psychotherapist praised Pitt for being selfless in his approach to the divorce, prioritizing the happiness of their children.
- Pitt opened up about his battle with alcoholism, revealing his sobriety post-divorce and a newfound focus on self-awareness.
In September 2016, Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt, citing "irreconcilable differences" after two years of being married. They were together for 12 years. They share six kids: Maddox, Zahara, their first biological child Shiloh, Pax, and their own twins, Knox and Vivienne. In 2022, news broke that Jolie legally accused Pitt of being "abusive" towards her and their children.
The Maleficent alum has unreleased tapes of their arguments that could mutually hurt their reputations. But in 2017, Pitt said he "set [Jolie] free" while turning his life around after his battle with alcohol addiction – which seems to have caused his physical altercation with his ex-wife and their kids.
Despite that problematic background, a psychotherapist praised the Fight Club star for doing what he did in the relationship, like giving up custody of their children later on...
A Psychotherapist Said Brad Pitt Was "Selfless" For "Letting Go" Of Angelina Jolie
On May 3, 2017, Pitt talked about his divorce to GQ. After having the "first urge... to cling on" to his marriage, he eventually realized: "And then you've got a cliché: 'If you love someone, set them free.' Now I know what it means, by feeling it."
"It means to love without ownership. It means expecting nothing in return."
A day after the interview was published, a licensed psychotherapist commended the actor for being "selfless." Lena Aburdene Derhally, MS, LPC, told Refinery: "The school of thought is that love is a selfless act, and if you really love somebody, you want them to be happy, whatever that means — with or without you.. When things aren't working, don't fight for someone, just let them go and let them do what they need to do."
She went on to say that the World War Z star's "process... for everyone, for the kids, for me" was indicative of his sense of "first priority... [your children's] happiness, and you have to let them live and be who they are." Derhally concluded her professional take by saying: "The purist love is wanting the person you love to be happy, no matter what."
In 2020, Pax Jolie-Pitt called Brad Pitt "a terrible and despicable person" for putting their family in "constant hell." (via Instagram Story)
Brad Pitt "Committed" To Being Sober Following His Divorce From Angelina Jolie
Another bombshell in Pitt's GQ interview was his then-recent sobriety. When asked if he "missed" drinking alcohol, the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star confessed: "I mean, we have a winery. I enjoy wine very, very much, but I just ran it to the ground. I had to step away for a minute. And truthfully I could drink a Russian under the table with his own vodka."
"I was a professional [at drinking]. I was good."
When asked why he was able to "just drop [drinking] like that," Pitt told the magazine: "Don't want to live that way anymore." He said he'd replaced it with "Cranberry juice and fizzy water." He joked: "I've got the cleanest urinary tract in all of L.A., I guarantee you! But the terrible thing is I tend to run things into the ground. That's why I've got to make something so calamitous. I've got to run it off a cliff."
The Seven alum also revealed that sobriety made him look "at my weaknesses and failures and owning my side of the street." He realized: "Sitting with those horrible feelings, and needing to understand them, and putting them into place. In the end, you find: I am those things I don't like. That is a part of me. I can't deny that. I have to accept that. And in fact, I have to embrace that. I need to face that and take care of that."
"Because by denying it, I deny myself. I am those mistakes."
He continued: For me every misstep has been a step toward epiphany, understanding, some kind of joy. Yeah, the avoidance of pain is a real mistake. It's the real missing out on life. It's those very things that shape us, those very things that offer growth, that make the world a better place, oddly enough, ironically. That make us better."
Here's a timeline of Pitt's love life:
| 1984-1986 | Sinitta |
| 1988-1989 | Robin Givens |
| 1989 | Jill Schoelen |
| 1989 | Elizabeth "E.G." Daily |
| 1989 | Christina Applegate |
| 1989-1993 | Juliette Lewis |
| 1995-1997 (got engaged in 1996) | Gwyneth Paltrow |
| 1998-2005 (got married in 2000) | |
| 2004-2016 (got married in 2014) | Angelina Jolie |
| 2020 | Nicole Poturalski |
| 2022-present | Ines de Ramon |
Angelina Jolie Went Into Detail About Brad Pitt's "Abusive Behavior"
In 2022, the press obtained court documents of Jolie's allegations that Pitt "'choked' one of their children and "struck another in the face" before pouring beer on [Jolie] and beer and wine on the children during the 'tense' 2016 private jet ride that led to the actress filing for divorce within days of the alleged incident," per ET.
The actor reportedly "lunged at his own child" when they tried to defend their mother. To break off the fight, "Jolie grabbed him," but "to get Jolie off his back, Pitt threw himself backward into the airplane's seats," which injured Jolie's back and elbow, per her claims.
Jolie added that "the children rushed in and all bravely tried to protect each other." But, "before it was over, Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face."
"Some of the children pleaded with Pitt to stop," said the Eternals star who recalled her children, "all frightened" during the incident and that "many were crying." The heated event continued as "with nowhere to go and to avoid Pitts' wrath, Jolie and the children sat still and silent under blankets," per the actress' court filings.
"Nobody dared go to the bathroom." She also alleged that Pitt was "periodically emerged from the back of the plane to yell and swear at them... At one point, he poured beer on Jolie; at another, he poured beer and red wine on the children." Back then, an insider close to Pitt slammed the accusations.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were declared single in 2019. Reports say their divorce could be finalized in the summer of 2024.
"It's incredibly sad that she continues to rehash, revise and reimagine her description of an event that happened six years ago, adding in completely untrue information to try to get additional attention for herself at the expense of their family," they said. "[Jolie] has resorted to trying to keep rehashing the same thing. Going back to the same thing month after month with new and still false information for purposes only she can understand."
