In news that has rocked the entertainment world this morning, Brangelina has broken up. No, this is not a drill — I repeat, this is not a drill. After more than a decade together, including two years of marriage, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are headed for divorce.
More:It only took seconds before Jennifer Aniston was dragged into Brangelina’s divorce
Despite nearly constant rumors regarding the state of their marriage, the high-profile actors have managed to remain one of Hollywood’s golden couples by living a life largely out of the public eye with their six children. They seemed… happy. In love. Committed.
So what went wrong? Myriad reasons are being cited for the split, with more speculation sure to come as the separation and divorce transpires. Here’s what sources are saying caused the downfall of Jolie and Pitt’s once-idyllic union.
Sept. 20, 2016
Too much toking
7:28 a.m.:TMZ officially breaks the news that Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt citing irreconcilable differences. According to their sources, “Angelina became ‘fed up’ with Brad’s consumption of weed and possibly alcohol, and mixed with what she believes is ‘an anger problem’ … felt it became dangerous for the children.” She is seeking physical custody of the couple’s kids and requesting visitation for Pitt.
Parenting probs
10:39 a.m.:Gossip Cop echoes the insinuation that Pitt’s relationship with the couple’s kids is a motivating factor in the divorce, underscoring the fact that Jolie had taken issue with his “parenting methods.” The site also quoted an attorney for Jolie, who said, “This decision was made for the health of the family. [Jolie] will not be commenting, and asks that the family be given its privacy at this time.”
More:Let’s stop blaming Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s divorce on the kids
On-set extracurriculars
11:13 a.m.: Idle gossip about Pitt and his Allied co-star Marion Cotillard have been heating up for months now, and Page Six is calling an affair between the two the catalyst for Jolie’s divorce filing. “[Jolie] hired a private eye because she felt that he was fooling around with [Cotillard] on the set, and it turns out he was. And that was the final straw,” the source reportedly told Page Six.
Solo excursions
11:48 a.m.: If you ask In Touch, the proverbial last straw was Pitt’s decision not to spend the last stretch of summer vacation with her and the kids at their estate in France. “Brad’s leaving for the Adriatic coast [in early September] prompted a fight with his wife that has sealed the fate of their marriage,” an alleged friend is quoted as exclusively revealing to the magazine.
More: Angelina Jolie makes powerful speech about the poor treatment of women
The married co-stars curse
11:52 a.m.: In an article about the couple’s split, ET points to Jolie and Pitt’s 2015 film By the Sea as another possible source of tension. Filmed shortly after their own marriage, By the Sea revolved around a married couple working through some heavy stuff. “We had a few weeks into it and we wondered if it was a good idea because it is quite… it’s heavy and it’s a lot of fighting, and it’s pretty ugly, but we had the thought that if we can do it — if we can be close in that way and that open as artists — the you can push through and you really get closer and you learn something,” ET cited Jolie, explaining about she and Pitt’s collaboration.
Control issues
1:41 p.m.: In an ET exclusive, one source claims that Brangelina unraveled over time due to growing resentment over the quote-unquote tight leash Jolie kept Pitt on. “Angelina runs a tight ship, and for years, Brad followed her orders. She always called the shots and he went along with it. In recent months, he hasn’t been and has been living his life how he wants to live it,” said the source.
Stepping out (or should we say Depp-ing out?)
3:41 p.m.: While there’s much being said about Pitt’s potential infidelities, little has been said about Jolie… until now. According to Radar Online, Johnny Depp’s ex, Vanessa Paradis, remains convinced that Jolie seduced Depp while the two filmed The Tourist together. “Vanessa was against Johnny working with Angelina in the first place,” said the source. “She firmly believed that Angelina stole Brad Pitt away from Jennifer Aniston and felt she’d do the same with Johnny… her jealousy and suspicions ended up destroying [their relationship].”
“Something serious”
3:42 p.m.: While Jolie’s sometimes-estranged father Jon Voight doesn’t have all the details, Daily Mail reports that he is deeply disheartened by the split. “It’s very sad. Something very serious must have happened for Angie to make a decision like this,” he told Inside Edition, adding, “I am concerned for Angie and the children and hopefully I will be seeing them soon.”
Selena, it would seem
4:21 p.m.: Take it with a grain of salt, people, but Radar Online also suspects Selena Gomez, 24, may be in the middle of Brangelina’s demise. Supposedly, Gomez cozied up to Pitt, 52, her co-star in The Big Short, at the Golden Globes — and it had Jolie seeing red. “Angie warned Brad to cut all ties with Selena, and she’s forbidding him from working with her again,” said an insider.
Sept. 21, 2016
Cotillard’s rebuttal
6:59 a.m.: In response to the vitriol she has received in response to unfounded reports of an affair with Pitt, Marion Cotillard released a statement via her Instagram account: “This is going to be my first and only reaction to the whirlwind news that broke 24 hours ago and that I was swept up into. I am not used to commenting on things like this nor taking them seriously but as this situation is spiraling and affecting people I love, I have to speak up. Firstly, many years ago, I met the man of my life, father of our son and of the baby we are expecting. He is my love, my best friend, the only one that I need. Secondly to those who have indicated that I am devastated, I am very well thank you. This crafted conversation isn’t distressing. And to all the media and the haters who are quick to pass judgment, I sincerely wish you a swift recovery. Finally, I do very much wish that Angelina and Brad, both whom I deeply respect, will find peace in this very tumultuous moment. With all my love, Marion.”
Sept. 22, 2016
Police involvement
10:15 a.m.: CNN reports that Pitt is being investigated by the LAPD for an incident that allegedly took place on the couple’s private plane in mid-September. However, according to LAPD Officer Jenny Houser, “LAPD is not handling any report of allegations of child abuse for Mr. Brad Pitt.” Sources maintain, however, that Pitt recently spoke with authorities regarding a situation involving one of the couple’s kids.
10:47 a.m.: Due to strict confidentiality laws, the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services could not confirm nor deny it was investigating Pitt, according to The Hollywood Reporter. However, in a statement to THR, the FBI stated: “In response to your inquiry regarding allegations within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States; specifically, an aircraft carrying Mr. Brad Pitt and his children, the FBI is continuing to gather facts and will evaluate whether an investigation at the federal level will be pursued.”
4:40 p.m.:People magazine reports that Pitt has not seen or talked to any of his children — or Jolie — since she filed for divorce on Monday.
People also elaborated on CNN’s report about Pitt being under investigation for the Sept. 14 plane incident, but the magazine claims that he is actually under review by the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services and is accused of getting verbally abusive with one of the kids, as well as getting “physical.”
Lawyering up
7:51 p.m.:The Hollywood Reporter discloses that Pitt has enlisted heavy-hitting Beverly Hills lawyer Lance Spiegel to represent him in the divorce. Spiegel, 70, has represented other high profile figures, including Eva Longoria, Russell Simmons, Heather Locklear, Charlie Sheen and the late Michael Jackson. News broke early that Jolie is being represented by Laura Wasser.
Sept. 23, 2016
The cause of the confrontation
4:00 a.m.:TMZ alleges that sources connected with the couple revealed that, while on a private jet with Jolie and the kids, Pitt and his wife got into a verbal argument. When the couple’s 15-year-old son Maddox stepped in to defend his mom, Pitt reportedly lunged at the boy. Jolie jumped in to shield her son, and Pitt “connected in some fashion with his son.” However, even TMZ admits the details are murky on this one.
Sept. 24, 2016
Brad’s side of the story
8:55 a.m.: Despite previous reports to the contrary, a source with knowledge of the incident tells People exclusively that Pitt absolutely did not abuse his son. While the source concedes that Pitt was drunk at the time of the argument and that there was an argument that should have been handled differently, “[Pitt] is emphatic that it did not reach the level of physical abuse, that no one was physically harmed. He did not hit his child in the face in any way.” Rather, says the source, Pitt made contact with Maddox in the shoulder area inadvertently, and the teenager was unharmed.
The other, other party
10:23 a.m.: Can we all just agree that Cotillard and her longtime partner, Guillaume Canet, are precious and everyone should leave them alone? Unfortunately, such has not been the case so far, leading to a reticent Canet responding to the rumors on his own Instagram account.
“I don’t usually make it a habit to comment on rumors made about us,” the actor-director wrote in French. “I also don’t usually talk about my private life, which, until now, I have always attentively protected. But the fury of the tabloids, the venal stupidity of some people calling themselves journalists, the internet trolls who feel braver behind a keyboard, drive me to speak of the pride, love, respect and admiration I have for Marion staying strong and intelligent in the face of all these stupid and unfounded accusations. I like we’re all living with much more important things at the moment and now it’s time to move on and raise the bar a bit. Even if that’s a lot of work for some, I want to be positive. And as Marion said so well, I hope you get better and aspire to something more in your life than constantly sending shit!”
Let the blocking begin
9:00 p.m.: Us Weekly reports that Jolie has gone to extreme measures to sever all ties from her estranged husband, citing an insider who claims Jolie “has blocked all incoming text messages and also Brad’s numbers.” The source adds that Pitt “completely caught off-guard and blindsided” by the divorce filing and Jolie’s subsequent behavior, and is beside himself with grief.
Sept. 26, 2016
The other, other, other party
7:17 a.m.: April Florio, a former model who was linked to Pitt during his marriage to Jennifer Aniston, tells The Mirror that she wants to “make clear she has had no part in Brad’s latest split.” Although she claims she was motivated to make a statement because she was at the center of rumors Pitt’s go-round with Aniston, it smacks a bit of a tabloid pay-out, given most people have long since forgotten such speculative fodder.
Sept. 29, 2016
Clash of parenting styles
8:00 a.m.: According to Us Weekly, Pitt and Jolie’s problems with parenting stretch way back, with a source telling the site that the couple has long clashed about how to best raise their children. “Brad wants them to have a normal upbringing and worries that they’ll come out spoiled, elitist and not grounded,” said the source. “But Angie feels they should be ‘children of the world.’ They argue about it all the time: heated, screaming fights.”
Sept. 30, 2016
Sordid on-set secrets
8:02 a.m.: While Pitt and Jolie have long contended their relationship was purely platonic during Pitt’s marriage to Jennifer Aniston, the estranged couple’s former bodyguard is opening up for the first time about their sparks on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. “[Angelina] and Brad were constantly laughing and flirting with each other and acting like two school kids who had the hots for each other, and it was so cute. I caught them several times in each other’s trailers making out,” Mark Behar told Us Weekly. He also revealed that the actors used him to sneak each other notes that were “sexual in content.”
The question of custody
8:02 a.m.: If TMZ‘s sources are correct, Pitt and Jolie have apparently reached a temporary custody agreement in regard to their six kids. The deal, which was recommended by the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services, consists of several conditions, the most notable being that Jolie will retain temporary physical custody until Oct. 20. Pitt will have visitation rights, but with a few caveats — a therapist will be present at the first visit, and the therapist will then decide whether or not future visits with Pitt will be monitored or not. Pitt must also undergo random drug and alcohol testing (the first of which he allegedly passed). Both actors will undergo individual counseling, and the entire family will also undergo counseling together. After three weeks, DCFS will reevaluate.
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