Why Brad Pitt And Angelina Jolie's Divorce Still Isn't Final

If you were a fan of pop culture in the early 2000s, then chances are you remember the media frenzy surrounding Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. After meeting on the set of their film "Mr & Mrs Smith," the two sparked controversy after relationship rumors began to swirl. At the time, Pitt was viewed by the public as happily married to "Friends" star Jennifer Aniston, who he married in 2000. While the two initially denied the accusations of infidelity, Jolie and Pitt seemingly confirmed their romance in a W Magazine feature in July 2005, nearly five months after Pitt and Aniston called it quits. Following their romantic debut, the pair wasted no time establishing themselves as a family, with Pitt adopting the "Tomb Raider" star's two kids, Maddox and Zahara.

"It's the idea that you love one another and you want to create a family together. What's beautiful is you can do it by birth (or) by adoption," a friend of the pair told People in 2006. Although Jolie and Pitt's relationship beginnings were plagued with controversy, the two fell deeper in love, resulting in their lavish 2014 wedding at the Château Miraval. However after two years of marriage, "Brangelina" announced their divorce shortly after the pair celebrated their second wedding anniversary. "This decision was made for "the health of the family," said Robert Offer, Jolie's lawyer, in a statement (via Newsweek). Unfortunately, things have not gotten healthier for the pair due to their intense divorce.

Since announcing their separation in September 2016, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been immersed in a very messy legal battle. While the former couple refrained from listing an exact reason at the time, an anonymous source revealed to People that their separation stemmed from a "verbal and violent" altercation on a private plane. They also claimed that Pitt was physically assaulted with their child Maddox — prompting the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services and the FBI to investigate. "I'm not the kind of person who makes decisions like the decisions I had to make lightly," Jolie told The Guardian in 2021. "It took a lot for me to be in a position where I felt I had to separate from the father of my children."

While details about the investigation were kept private for six years, Rolling Stone obtained a leaked copy of the FBI report in August 2022. In the document, the "Girl, Interrupted" star accused Pitt of injuring her after he "grabbed" her by the head and shoulders and shook her. Jolie also accused the "Bullet Train" actor — who was said to have been drinking at the time — of pushing her into the private jet's bathroom wall and verbally abusing their children. Following the leak, a source close to Pitt accused Jolie of using the report — which they claimed was made available to the actors in 2016 — to "inflict pain."

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's lengthy and pricey divorce battle is partly due to their shared French estate and winery Château Miraval – which they bought in 2008. In October 2021, Jolie sold her stake in the company to Tenute del Mondo after getting clearance from a judge a month prior. However, instead of parting ways quietly, Pitt sued the "Eternals" star in February 2022 for breaking their previous agreement — which prevented them from selling their interests without getting consent from one another. A few months after his initial filing, the "World War Z" star issued another complaint against Jolie and accused her of "knowingly violating Pitt's contractual rights."

In response to Pitt's accusations, the "Wanted" star filed a countersuit in which she claimed they negotiated selling her shares together. However, things fell through after Pitt asked Jolie to sign a nondisclosure agreement preventing her from publicly speaking about their marriage. In December 2022, Jolie described Pitt's lawsuit as "frivolous, malicious and part of a problematic pattern." "In particular, Plaintiff Pitt's allegations that he and Ms. Jolie had a secret, unwritten, spoken contract to a consent right on the sale of their interests in the property is directly contrary to the written record and, among other legal defects, violate of the Statue of Frauds and public policy," her team of lawyers said, per People.