How Long Has Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's Divorce Been Going On? Inside Their 8-Year Legal Battle

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been legally single since 2019, despite initially filing to end their marriage in 2016 — a divorce which is still pending.

The Bullet Train actor and Eternals actress first met on the set of 2005’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith and began dating a couple of years later. The two share six children together — Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne — with Pitt adopting Maddox and Zahara in 2006 after he began dating Jolie.

On Aug. 23, 2014, the former couple tied the knot in an intimate wedding in the French village of Correns. However, after a decade together and two years of marriage, the pair’s relationship came to an end when Jolie filed for divorce on Sept. 20, 2016.

“I heard one lawyer say, ’No one wins in court — it's just a matter of who gets hurt worse,’ ” Pitt told GQ in 2017, a year into their divorce proceedings. “And it seems to be true, you spend a year just focused on building a case to prove your point and why you're right and why they're wrong, and it's just an investment in vitriolic hatred. I just refuse. And fortunately my partner in this agrees.”

Eight years later, their contentious legal battle has continued as the actors argue over custody and their finances, as well as a separate lawsuit regarding their previously joint French winery.

A source close to Pitt told PEOPLE in August 2024 that it's "pretty shocking" that the two actors still "can't find a resolution and finalize the divorce," while another source close to the dispute said, "Hopefully they can both get on the same page to at least resolve the matrimonial side of things while the Miraval case plays out."

From their initial plane incident to their current custody agreement, here’s why Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s divorce has been going on for eight years.

Jolie filed for divorce after an incident with Pitt on their private plane in 2016

On Sept. 14, 2016, Jolie and Pitt got into an alleged physical altercation on a private plane ride with their six kids from France to their home in Los Angeles. In heavily redacted FBI documents released six years later in 2022, Jolie claimed that Pitt’s actions made her feel “like a hostage” on the plane as he allegedly grabbed and shook her, pushed her into a wall and punched the ceiling of the aircraft.

She further alleged that he looked “like he was going to attack” one of her children after they called him a “prick” during the alleged fight. Jolie also admitted to wrapping her arms around Pitt’s neck in a chokehold style.

Following the altercation, Pitt was under investigation for child abuse after someone anonymously reported the incident. Two months later, the FBI ended its investigation and cleared Pitt, with no charges filed in the matter.

Three days after the incident, Jolie filed for divorce, listing their date of separation as Sept. 15, one day after the plane ride.

"This decision was made for the health of the family,” Jolie’s lawyer said at the time. “She will not be commenting at this time, and asks that the family be given their privacy during this difficult time." 

Pitt added in his own statement, "I am very saddened by this, but what matters most now is the wellbeing of our kids. I kindly ask the press to give them the space they deserve during this challenging time."

Jolie and Pitt were declared legally single three years after filing for divorce

In April 2019, a judge ruled that Jolie and Pitt could go back to being legally single before finalizing their divorce settlement. Known as bifurcation, the move meant both actors could engage in other relationships and even get married.

The move came after complicated divorce proceedings as the two battled over custody and finances, including a June 2018 ruling that outlined a detailed schedule for Pitt to spend time with the children, apart from Maddox, who was a legal adult by then.

The decision to award Pitt with more time with his children was reversed in 2021

Pitt was granted more time with his children in May 2021. However, the decision was reversed just two months later after a three-judge panel disqualified the former couple’s judge, John Ouderkirk, from the case for a violation of his “ethical obligations.”

The Second District Court of Appeal in California sided with Jolie, ruling that Ouderkirk could be biased in his rulings as he had a previous business relationship with Pitt’s attorneys that he did not disclose in a timely manner.

"Brad believes there is overwhelming evidence that the current situation isn't good for the kids,” a source close to Pitt told PEOPLE at the time. “This just sets things back for everyone."

In October 2021, Jolie sold her stake in her and Pitt’s joint winery — and Pitt promptly sued her for it

The former couple jointly owned a $164 million French estate and winery, Château Miraval, at which they got married. In October 2021, Jolie chose to sell her stake in the winery to Tenute del Mondo, the wine division of the Stoli Group. A month before the sale, Jolie was cleared to proceed after she was previously prevented from doing so during her divorce proceedings.

Pitt filed a lawsuit against Jolie in February 2022, claiming she violated a previous agreement that stated they would have to grant each other approval to sell their stakes in the company. In a June 2022 court filing, Pitt alleged that Jolie damaged the company’s reputation by selling her shares to a “stranger,” and that she did so intentionally to “inflict harm” on him.

"Jolie pursued and then consummated the purported sale in secret, purposely keeping Pitt in the dark, and knowingly violating Pitt's contractual rights," the filing read.

Several months later, Jolie filed a countersuit by her business, Nouvel, alleging that Pitt was “waging a vindictive war” against her. The company also was seeking $250 million in damages, purporting that Pitt "masterminded a so-far-successful plan to seize control" of Château Miraval after the couple’s divorce.

Pitt and Jolie have argued in court over whether he wanted her to sign an NDA

A source close to Jolie claimed that Pitt’s lawsuit regarding the winery is a response to Jolie’s refusal to sign a non-disclosure agreement that would prevent her from talking about previous domestic abuse claims.

"The reality is that Pitt refused to complete the Miraval sale with Jolie unless she agreed to being silenced about the abuse as he demanded that $8.5 million be held back to force her to keep quiet," the source claimed.

They continued, "Ms. Jolie had no interest in speaking about what happened. In fact, she has not done so even once, and instead she devoted her life to helping the children heal and to advocating to fix the very broken domestic violence response system in America. The only reason any of this has come out now is because Mr. Pitt decided to sue her for not agreeing to keep quiet."

A source close to Pitt denied that the Miraval lawsuit had anything to do with the divorce or his children, arguing that no NDA surrounding his personal matters existed.

"Brad requested a mutual NDA and non-disparagement strictly related to Miraval over concerns around sensitive financial information and protecting the brand, which is standard with these types of transactions," the source said.

Pitt now has visits with his minor children, and the two are nearing a divorce settlement

Now, Pitt has “virtually no contact” with his older children, but still has visitation rights with his younger kids, twins Vivienne and Knox, per a source close to the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actor.

“His engagement with the younger kids is more limited in recent months because of his filming schedule," the source said, referring to Pitt’s shooting of his upcoming racing movie F1 in Europe. "[Angelina] has the kids most of the time, but per their agreement, he has visitation with the younger kids."

A source close to the couple told PEOPLE in July 2024 that an end to the divorce proceedings may be in sight, but it’s not there yet.

"Both sides are still talking," they said of the remaining issues in the divorce negotiations, "but it's not done yet."

The same month, Jolie's attorney Paul Murphy said the actress wants Pitt to "end the fighting" by dropping the winery lawsuit.

"While Angelina again asks Mr. Pitt to end the fighting and finally put their family on a clear path toward healing, unless Mr. Pitt withdraws his lawsuit, Angelina has no choice but to obtain the evidence necessary to prove his allegations wrong," Murphy said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.

Jolie and Pitt don't speak about each other in the press

Both Jolie and Pitt had large press runs in August 2024 as they geared up for the release of the former's Maria and the latter's Wolfs. In the interviews leading up to the premiere of both films, Jolie and Pitt both declined to speak about the other, with Jolie blatantly telling a The Hollywood Reporter writer "No" when she was asked if the reporter could ask about her divorce.

"You could have this messy private process and the work spoke," Jolie said of Hollywood years ago.
"Now, the audience’s relationship is different. I’m trying to get used to what to share."

In his profile with GQ, out the same month, Pitt also did not speak of Jolie. The actress did, however, mention that she planned on moving from Los Angeles after the youngest of her children turned 18 and she legally could.

"I grew up in this town. I am here because I have to be here from a divorce, but as soon as they’re 18, I’ll be able to leave," said Jolie.