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A complete timeline of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's relationship and divorce

Jessica Booth,Jason Guerrasio   

A complete timeline of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's relationship and divorce
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were together for over a decade.Kevin Winter / Getty
  • For 12 years, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were one of Hollywood's most iconic couples.
  • They met around 2003 and wed in 2014 — Jolie filed for divorce in 2016.

2004: Pitt and Jolie met on the set of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."

2004: Pitt and Jolie met on the set of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."
Angelina Jolie would later confirm this.      20th Century Fox

At the time of filming around 2003, Pitt was married to Jennifer Aniston and Jolie had recently filed for divorce from Billy Bob Thornton.

As per People's reports, in a 2006 interview, Jolie confirmed to Vogue that they began developing feelings for each other. She said, "... I think we found this strange friendship and partnership that kind of just suddenly happened. I think a few months in I realized, 'God, I can't wait to get to work.'"

She added, "It took until, really, the end of the shoot for us, I think, to realize that it might mean something more than we'd earlier allowed ourselves to believe. And both knowing that the reality of that was a big thing, something that was going to take a lot of serious consideration."

January 2005: Pitt and Aniston announced they were separating.

January 2005: Pitt and Aniston announced they were separating.
The couple said tabloid speculation did not cause the separation.      Vince Bucci/Getty Images

After months of rumors that Pitt and Jolie had an affair on the set of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," Pitt and Aniston released a statement about their separation to People, saying, "For those who follow these sorts of things, we would like to explain that our separation is not the result of any of the speculation reported by the tabloid media."

March 2005: Aniston officially filed for divorce from Pitt.

March 2005: Aniston officially filed for divorce from Pitt.
Jennifer Aniston officially filed for divorce in 2005.      Evan Agostini/Getty Images

Shortly after the initial announcement, People reported that Aniston officially filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences."

April 2005: Pitt and Jolie were photographed on vacation together in Kenya.

April 2005: Pitt and Jolie were photographed on vacation together in Kenya.
The vacation was one of the first times the couple was photographed together.      Getty/Alberto E. Rodriguez

A month later, Us Weekly published photos of Pitt and Jolie with Jolie's son, Maddox, in Kenya.

In September 2005, Aniston described her reaction to the photos in an interview with Vanity Fair: "The world was shocked, and I was shocked."

July 2005: Pitt and Jolie were featured in a W magazine spread titled "Domestic Bliss," and Jolie adopted Zahara.

July 2005: Pitt and Jolie were featured in a W magazine spread titled "Domestic Bliss," and Jolie adopted Zahara.
Angelina Jolie adopted Zahara from Ethiopia with Pitt by her side.      Junko Kimura/Getty

The now-iconic spread included many photos of the two as a couple with a family.

That same month, People reported that Jolie adopted 6-month-old Zahara from Ethiopia with Pitt by her side.

January 2006: The pair confirmed they were expecting a child together.

January 2006: The pair confirmed they were expecting a child together.
Maddox and Zahara's last names were also changed.      Getty/Bryan Bedder

Less than a year after Pitt's divorce from Aniston was finalized, People confirmed Jolie and Pitt were expecting.

That same month, a judge granted a request to change Maddox and Zahara's last names to Jolie-Pitt.

May 2006: The couple's first biological daughter was born in Namibia, Africa.

May 2006: The couple
In July, Madame Tussauds unveiled a wax figure of the couple and baby Shiloh.      Getty/Scott Gries

In May, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt was born in Namibia. Their obstetrician told People that Pitt was in the operating room the whole time.

March 2007: Pitt and Jolie adopted Pax from Vietnam.

March 2007: Pitt and Jolie adopted Pax from Vietnam.
The pair traveled to Vietnam to adopt him.      Getty/Kevin Winter

In March, 3-year-old Pax became the newest member of the Jolie-Pitt family when Pitt and Jolie traveled to Vietnam to adopt him.

Reuters reported that Jolie supposedly filed the papers without Pitt because Vietnamese law does not allow unmarried couples to adopt children, but single individuals can.

May 200: Jolie revealed she was pregnant with twins.

May 200: Jolie revealed she was pregnant with twins.
Angelina Jolie said she was shocked.      Getty/Pascal Le Segretain

At the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Jolie announced to Today and Access Hollywood that she was expecting twins.

She told Access Hollywood, "We weren't expecting twins. So it did shock us."

July 2008: The twins were born in Nice, France.

July 2008: The twins were born in Nice, France.
The twins were born in July.      Getty/Kevin Winter

Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline were born in Nice, France in July.

A month later, they appeared on the cover of People. Jolie talked about their family life in an interview with the magazine, saying, "It is chaos, but we are managing it and having a wonderful time."

February 2010: The couple sued News of the World for saying they had split.

February 2010: The couple sued News of the World for saying they had split.
They won the lawsuit later that year.      Getty/Gareth Cattermole

In February 2010, News of the World published a report saying the couple had broken up. The couple later sued the publication for the false report.

In July, BBC reported that the couple was paid damages from the company that owns the newspaper and planned to donate it to their charity, the Jolie-Pitt foundation.

April 2012: Pitt and Jolie's engagement was confirmed.

April 2012: Pitt and Jolie
Brad Pitt's manager confirmed it.      Getty/Kevin Winter

Pitt's manager confirmed to People that the couple was engaged, saying, "It is a promise for the future and their kids are very happy. There's no date set at this time."

May 2013: Jolie revealed she had gone through a preventative double mastectomy.

May 2013: Jolie revealed she had gone through a preventative double mastectomy.
Angelina Jolie wrote about it in an op-ed.      Anthony Harvey/Stringer/Getty Images

Jolie wrote a New York Times op-ed about undergoing the surgery, writing, "I am fortunate to have a partner, Brad Pitt, who is so loving and supportive … Brad was at the Pink Lotus Breast Center, where I was treated, for every minute of the surgeries."

"We managed to find moments to laugh together. We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has."

August 2014: The two secretly got married in France.

August 2014: The two secretly got married in France.
Their kids were involved in the wedding.      Getty/Pascal Le Segretain

Associated Press first broke the news in a tweet.

The HuffPost reported from the now-unavailable Associated Press post that Pitt and Jolie privately wed at their Chateau Miraval in France and all of their six children were involved in the ceremony.

The report says Maddox and Pax walked their mom down the aisle, Zahara and Vivienne were flower girls, and Shiloh and Knox were ring bearers. Jolie wore an Atelier Versace gown and a veil that featured designs from her kids' drawings embroidered into the fabric.

2015: They worked on their first movie together since "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."

2015: They worked on their first movie together since "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."
Angelina Jolie directed the movie.      Universal Pictures

Pitt and Jolie starred in their second film together, a relationship drama called "By The Sea" which was directed by Jolie.

That same year, Jolie wrote another op-ed about having her ovaries and Fallopian tubes removed.

That same year, Jolie wrote another op-ed about having her ovaries and Fallopian tubes removed.
Angelina Jolie underwent another surgery.      Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

After an annual blood test showed markers that could be "a sign of early cancer," Jolie decided to have her ovaries and Fallopian tubes removed as a preventative measure.

July 2016: Pitt and Jolie were seen together in public for one of the last times.

July 2016: Pitt and Jolie were seen together in public for one of the last times.
One of their last public appearances together was with Shiloh.      Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

One of the last times Pitt and Jolie were publicly spotted together as a couple was in July 2016, when they were photographed with Shiloh.

Prior to this, they had been apart for months while working on various projects.

September 2016: Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt.

September 2016: Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt.
Angelina Jolie requested primary custody of their children.      Mary Altaffer/AP Images

Citing irreconcilable differences, Jolie officially filed for divorce. She petitioned for primary custody of the six children.

Shortly after, in September 2016, Pitt was accused of physically abusing one of his children. He was later cleared by authorities.

Shortly after, in September 2016, Pitt was accused of physically abusing one of his children. He was later cleared by authorities.
Brad Pitt was cleared of all charges.      Michael Kovac/Getty Images

In September, during a family flight on the couple's private jet, Pitt was reportedly "drinking heavily." Early reports alleged that Pitt physically hurt 15-year-old Maddox Pitt-Jolie during the flight, but later reports stated that Jolie separated Pitt from their kids.

Pitt was later investigated by The LA Department of Children and Family Services and the FBI, but both cleared Pitt of all charges in November.

January 2017: the couple hired a private judge to keep their divorce proceedings quiet.

January 2017: the couple hired a private judge to keep their divorce proceedings quiet.
Their agreement would keep their court case details private.      Rich Fury / Getty Images / Stefan Rousseau / WPA Pool / Getty Images

The couple then hired a private judge and reportedly signed agreements to keep the details of their case private. After that, they were relatively quiet about their split for a while.

August 2018: Jolie's camp accused Pitt of not paying "meaningful" child support.

August 2018: Jolie
The battle was all in court filings.      Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Jolie's attorneys said in a court filing that Pitt hadn't paid any "meaningful" child support since they split. It was not clear at the time of the filing what constituted "meaningful" support.

Pitt's lawyers said in return that Pitt had in fact paid Jolie more than $1.3 million in contributions over the past two years and that Pitt gave Jolie an $8 million loan to buy a new property. Her camp denied that he was meeting his legal obligations for child support. Pitt's attorneys also accused Jolie via court filing of trying to "manipulate media coverage" of their divorce.

You can read a detailed description of their divorce timeline specifically here.

April 2019: both Pitt and Jolie became legally single.

April 2019: both Pitt and Jolie became legally single.
The pair's divorce has yet to be settled.      Evan Agostini/Invision/AP; Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP

Though their divorce is still in progress, Judge John W. Ouderkirk entered a judgment saying the couple is no longer married. Her name was also restored to just Jolie, not Jolie Pitt.

May 2021: Pitt was reportedly granted "significantly" more "time with the kids."

May 2021: Pitt was reportedly granted "significantly" more "time with the kids."
Brad Pitt was awarded more time through the private judge they hired.      Gregg DeGuire / Getty Images

Insider reported that the private judge hired by both stars awarded Pitt more custody of his children following months of witness testimony.

"Pitt has always been seeking the opportunity to have more time with his children and prioritized their well being while the other side did everything to try and stop that," a source familiar with the situation told Insider in May 2021.

February 2022: Pitt sued Jolie for selling her stake in their $28 million coowned French winery.

February 2022: Pitt sued Jolie for selling her stake in their $28 million coowned French winery.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie purchased a controlling stake in 2008 and were married there in 2014.      Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images; Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

Pitt and Jolie purchased a controlling stake in Château Miraval and its vineyard behind the popular wine in 2008. The two were also married on the estate in 2014.

According to court documents, lawyers for Pitt say Jolie sold her stake in the Château to the Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler without her ex-husband's knowledge.

"She sold her interest with the knowledge and intention that Shefler and his affiliates would seek to control the business to which Pitt had devoted himself and to undermine Pitt's investment in Miraval," the lawsuit claimed.

The lawsuit continued to state that Jolie's sale was intended to cause Pitt "gratuitous harm" after he had "poured money and sweat equity" into the business. Pitt's lawyers also said that the pair had previously agreed to never sell their respective financial interests in the Château without the other's consent.

According to August 2022 reports, Jolie told the FBI that Pitt "grabbed her by the head" in a 2016 altercation aboard a private jet.

According to August 2022 reports, Jolie told the FBI that Pitt "grabbed her by the head" in a 2016 altercation aboard a private jet.
A leaked FBI report from Angelina Jolie began circulating in 2022.      Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty

According to a leaked FBI report obtained by Rolling Stone and Puck, Jolie alleged in an interview with the FBI that Pitt "grabbed her by her head," shook her, "pushed her into the bathroom wall," and repeatedly punched the ceiling of the private plane during an "outburst" about 90 minutes into a flight from Paris to Los Angeles on September 14, 2016.

The report added that Jolie alleged Pitt was intoxicated during the flight, saying that he poured beer on her at one point. Jolie told the FBI that by the time the plane landed, there was $25,000 worth of damage from Pitt spilling red wine, Rolling Stone reported.

Rolling Stone reported that Jolie alleged her children were scared at the time of the incident. She told the FBI that one child called Pitt a "prick," prompting him to lunge at the kid, only to be stopped when Jolie grabbed him from behind "like in a choke hold."

As previously mentioned, Insider reported in 2016 that the FBI cleared Pitt of child abuse allegations regarding that incident.

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