Why We Haven't Seen Angelina Jolie In A Public Relationship Since Brad

Angelina Jolie's love life has been markedly quiet and uneventful since her split from her estranged husband Brad Pitt in 2016. The rumor mill has linked Jolie to The Weeknd and British rapper Kingslee James McLean Daley (aka Akala), but verifiable information about her romantic endeavors has been virtually nonexistent over the years. Meanwhile, as of this writing, her ex-husband appears to be going quite steady with his jeweler girlfriend, though we can't help but notice some strange things about Pitt's relationship with Ines de Ramon. The pair has been dating since 2022 and were said to be getting increasingly serious in late 2024. "They are incredibly happy together," a source told People about the two. "It's clear they're in it for the long hall."

Amid news of her rumored budding romance with Akala, a source for InTouch Weekly claimed that Jolie was ready to give love another chance but is wary of who she lets into her life. "Angie is ready to date again, although it's unknown if she and Akala are really an item," they noted. "Whoever she dates next will have to adhere to her rules, though." That is, that Jolie's children would always be her no. 1 priority (she has six children with Pitt) and that she should be properly romanced. "Angie has been through a lot since she filed for divorce from Brad," the insider explained. "She doesn't want to jump into anything; she wants to be courted and won over." (As it turns out, she and Akala were never romantically involved; People confirmed that Akala is dating talent manager and producer Chanelle Newman, who happens to be good friends with Jolie.)

Meanwhile, Jolie has opened up about her dating life and why she hasn't been in a public relationship since her high-profile split from Pitt. 

Angelina Jolie finally set the record straight on her relationship status during her interview with The Wall Street Journal in 2023 to promote her film "Maria." "I don't really have ... a social life," the megastar admitted, while noting that she wasn't seeing anyone at the time. "I realized my closest friends are refugees," she further revealed. "Maybe four out of six of the women that I am close to are from war and conflict." She also pointed out her connection to her children, saying they are the closest and most important people to her at this time of her life. The actor shares three adopted kids with her estranged husband — Maddox, Zahara, and Pax — and three biological children, Shiloh and twins Knox and Vivienne. "We're seven very different people, which is our strength," Jolie stated.

During the interview, the "Maleficent" star also touched on her grueling divorce from Brad Pitt, stressing that it had been a difficult process for everyone involved. In 2016, Pitt and Jolie became locked in a legal battle over their shared winery, Château Miraval, which was still ongoing as of November 2024 — as was the process of the exes finalizing their split. "We had to heal," Jolie said of herself and her kids.  

A source later told Radar that the superstar was left traumatized by her and Pitt's messy divorce, hence her reluctance to jump back into the dating scene. "It's been nearly a decade since they split up, but she's still frozen," the insider remarked.