BRANGELINA BREAK UP
Jolie files for divorce and custody of couple’s 6 kids
LOS ANGELES – Angelina Jolie has filed for divorce from Brad Pitt and is seeking custody of their six children, spelling the end for “Brangelina,” one of Hollywood’s highest-profile celebrity couples.
The 41-year-old Jolie filed legal documents on Monday citing irreconcilable differences with Pitt, 52, and listing their date of separation as September 15, according to entertainment news websites TMZ and People.
“This decision was made for the health of the family,” Jolie’s attorney Robert Offer said in a statement circulated to US media. “She will not be commenting at this time, and asks that the family be given their privacy during this difficult time.”
Two of the world’s biggest stars, Pitt and Jolie formed a Hollywood power couple second to none, so famous they were known simply by their combined first names.
The A-listers wed in France in August two years ago, but have been a couple since 2004 and have six children together – three of whom are adopted.
Jolie is seeking physical custody of the children, with visiting rights for Pitt, according to TMZ, which said she was not seeking spousal support.
Jolie had been married twice before, to actors Jonny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton.
TMZ, which posted images of what it said were the court papers, reported unconfirmed claims that the actress filed for divorce over Pitt’s consumption of alcohol and marijuana and anger issues.
“If there are allegations of substance use and anger problems, that could lead to Pitt having supervised parenting time,” Kelly Frawley, a partner at a New York law firm said.
News of Jolie’s third divorce spread quickly on social media, with #brangelina the top trending hashtag on Twitter.
Many users posted memes featuring former star Jennifer Aniston – Pitt’s previous wife who he married in 2000 – including one of her on the phone saying: “And that, my friend, is what they call closure.”
Pitt and Jolie fell in love four years later on the set of action film
although they didn’t get engaged until 2012.
“Because of the film, we ended up being brought together to do all these crazy things, and I think we found this strange friendship and partnership that kind of just suddenly happened,” Jolie told Vogue in 2006. Their joint fortune is estimated at over $300-million (R4.2-billion), and they are among the highest paid stars in Hollywood.