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A guide to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s bitter eight-year Hollywood divorce

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in character wearing tactical gear.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in a scene from “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” the 2005 movie that kicked off their years-long relationship.
(20th Century Fox)
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Former Hollywood power couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were married for only two years. Then they spent four times as long undoing their union.

The Oscar winners, who were together for about 12 years before Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, reached a written settlement agreement on Monday that finally ended one of the longest and most contentious splits in Hollywood history. In it, the “Girl, Interrupted” and “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood” stars, who share six children and were each declared legally single in 2019, entered into a written agreement on their marital and property rights and gave up the right to any future spousal financial support.

Here’s a look at how the actors went from whirlwind romance to epic court battle.

Brangelina: The origin story

A single woman and a married man were cast as husband and wife in the 2005 movie “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” and soon after, “Brangelina” was born. With that movie-set origin story and the ensuing tabloid headlines, Jolie and Pitt immediately became one of the biggest power couples in Hollywood history.

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Pitt had been married to “Friends” superstar Jennifer Aniston at the time, but her 2005 divorce from Pitt took less than a year, start to finishStill, it barely beat the 2006 arrival of Shiloh Jolie-Pitt and Pitt’s adoption of Jolie’s children Pax and Maddox. Three more children would follow.

Once upon a time, when Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt were still in the honeymoon phase of the marriage they commenced with a million-dollar wedding featuring four bands and a 40-member gospel choir, he filled her dressing room on the set of “Friends” with mountains of roses and spelled out “I Love My Wife” in petals on the wall.

Angelina Jolie says she wasn’t looking for a relationship when she began working with Brad Pitt on “Mr. & Mrs.

Thousands of miles from Hollywood but still within easy reach of celebrity hype, Angelina Jolie on Saturday gave birth to Brad Pitt’s daughter in Africa, Pitt’s publicist announced.

The ‘Wanted’ star and partner Brad Pitt welcome a boy, Knox Leon, and a girl, Vivienne Marcheline.

Lots of rumors, then — finally — a wedding

After years of couplehood and lots of rumors that either a wedding or a breakup was on the way, the stars’ six children finally cajoled them into getting married. Despite fairy tale nuptials in 2014, the decision to exchange vows would turn out to be a big mistake. Huge.

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links.

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links.

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links.

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links.

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links.

The split happens — and quickly turns ugly

The world was shocked (well, mostly shocked) when the couple announced their separation in 2016 after two years of marriage. Things quickly got contentious, including abuse allegations stemming from an incident on a private plane — Jolie filed for divorce just days later — and a subsequent probe by the FBI.

Angelina Jolie has filed for divorce from Brad Pitt after two years of marriage.

An investigation into whether Brad Pitt was abusive toward his son on a private flight in September has been closed with no finding of abuse by the actor, a source familiar with the inquiry said Wednesday.

The FBI was informed of “a child welfare” incident involving actor Brad Pitt on an international flight last week, according to a law enforcement source who was not authorized to discuss the matter.

Bad blood

Despite minor efforts to make the breakup seem civil, the war between the two stars played out for years and included many episodes of family drama. The estranged couple ultimately enlisted a private judge to help work things out, a decision that helped keep some of the specifics out of the public eye.

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It’s hard not to muse — even with little confirmed information — on the demise of such a surreally glamorous, even exotic public couple as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Pitt have agreed to keep a lid on it.

Brad Pitt has become a matcha-swilling, pottery-sculpting couch surfer in the aftermath of his divorce from Angelina Jolie.

2019: More revelations

While the two were declared legally single in 2019, the divorce itself remained unresolved.

NEW YORK (AP) _ Angelina Jolie, an advocate of adoption, credits partner Brad Pitt with her decision to have biological children.

At Monday’s premiere of “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” star Angelina Jolie opened up about motherhood, female empowerment and filmmaking.

2021: More battling

California’s Supreme Court refuses to consider Brad Pitt’s appeal of a ruling that disqualified the judge in his custody battle with Angelina Jolie.

2022: And more

Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt a week after an altercation on a private plane. Now an FBI report reveals what she said went down.

As Angelina Jolie’s abuse allegations against Brad Pitt resurface, Pitt’s attorney says her client has been hit with ‘every type of personal attack.’

Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt a week after an altercation on a private plane. Now an FBI report reveals what she said went down.

Brad Pitt wants Angelina Jolie’s sale of Chateau Miraval stake undone, a new lawsuit says, claiming a Russian oligarch is angling for winery control.

Still going in 2023

Angelina Jolie reveals that the stress of divorcing Brad Pitt led to Bell’s palsy and that she plans to leave Hollywood where she can no longer live freely.

Brad Pitt is accusing Angelina Jolie of ‘secretly’ selling her share of their Chateau Miraval winery ‘to seize profits.’ But she cites alleged abuse.

Into 2024

Angelina Jolie files a motion to compel Brad Pitt’s communications about an ‘onerous’ NDA he wanted. She says it tanked sale of her Chateau Miraval share to him.

Shiloh Jolie-Pitt’s lawyer touches on ‘painful events’ behind her name-change request, which led to the placement of a legally required notice in the L.A. Times

Final resolution?

The former couple entered into a written agreement to settle the divorce in the last week of 2024. But the other dispute, about the sale of half of Chateau Miraval, remains outstanding. A judge still needs to sign off on the agreement.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt on Monday signed off on a default declaration filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, settling their eight-year divorce.

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