There was a time when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were the most coveted couple in Hollywood—I mean, did you see Mr & Mrs Smith? After our parents’ generation got over the heartbreak of Pitt’s split with national treasure Jennifer Anniston, Brangelina quickly became a fan favourite. But, as is often the case with celebrity romances, what you see on the red carpet is almost never the full picture. And now, with more and more allegations coming to light, the story of Pitt and Jolie is becoming more sinister by the minute.

Hello girlies, welcome back to Explained By a Blonde. This week, I’m going to unpack some of the darker details behind one of Hollywood’s most powerful couple’s divorce and subsequent legal battle. Jolie and Pitt were together for 12 years and reached cultural icon status as two beautiful people who seemingly appeared to be devastatingly drunk in love.

It’s official: Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie are MARRIED! http://t.co/txnGQ4fr3s pic.twitter.com/cS6cx5EejO

— E! Entertainment (@eentertainment) August 28, 2014

Then, disaster struck. The pair separated in 2016 and the entire general public were left floundering, completely confused as to how such a tragedy could occur. But before long, leaked FBI reports and unearthed court documents brought to the surface what appeared to be a serious pattern of aggressive emotional and physical abuse, with Pitt as the alleged perpetrator.

So, from the events of an allegedly violent private plane ride in 2016—which supposedly prompted Jolie’s subsequent decision to file for divorce—to the most recent updates regarding new judge orders, let’s dive into everything you need to know about this highly distressing situation.

The first information the public received about the alleged abuse Brad Pitt had inflicted onto both Angelina Jolie and their children centred on one specific plane ride in 2016. The details emerged in October 2022 as the pair were grappling with a lawsuit concerning their shared French vineyard. 

According to BBC, in one of the court documents attached to the French winery suit, Jolie stated that Pitt grabbed her by the head and attacked two of their children on the 2016 trip. The Girl, Interrupted actor further claimed that Pitt also verbally abused and poured alcohol on his family during the flight from France to Los Angeles. The incident was investigated by the FBI in 2016, however, authorities decided not to press charges.

While statements regarding Pitt’s allegedly abusive behaviour have cropped up previously, specifically in the pair’s divorce settlement, new details have emerged over the past two years that have exposed an incredibly dark side to the Hollywood leading man.

TW: Domestic Violence

As a reminder, Brad Pitt is estranged from his children due to physical abuse.

Angelina Jolie’s court filing: https://t.co/zFXtbGU9bk pic.twitter.com/uppdugvsul

— julieofcharsky.bsky.social (@julietabbouli) June 4, 2024

Quotes from the 2022 court filing include: “Pitt grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her, and then grabbed her shoulders and shook her again before pushing her into the bathroom wall,” and “Pitt then punched the ceiling of the plane numerous times, prompting Jolie to leave the bathroom.”

The document then goes on to note that after one child verbally intervened, Pitt “lunged at his own child.” Jolie then “grabbed him from behind to stop him.”

“To get Jolie off his back, Pitt threw himself backwards into the airplane’s seats injuring Jolie’s back and elbow. The children rushed in and all bravely tried to protect each other. Before it was over, Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face,” the legal filing continues.

Pitt has unequivocally denied the abuse allegations, with his lawyers making the following statement: “Brad has owned everything he’s responsible for from day one—unlike the other side—but he’s not going to own anything he didn’t do. He has been on the receiving end of every type of personal attack and misrepresentation. Thankfully, the various public authorities the other side has tried to use against him over the past six years have made their own independent decisions.”

Interestingly though, on Father’s Day in 2023, Maddox, 22, one of the couple’s eldest children, called Pitt a “world class a**hole” and “f*cking awful human being” on Instagram. The post, positioned next to a picture of Pitt accepting the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2020 also read: “You have no consideration or empathy toward your four youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence.”

A number of netizens online have lamented over Hollywood’s continued acceptance and celebration of Pitt:

angelina has spoken about how brad pitt abused her and her children enough times for people to be aware of it and yet, instead of the shaming he deserves he gets praised from multiple celebrities and Hollywood itself. those people do NOT care about a woman’s suffering

— ୨୧ (@certifiedhatr) January 11, 2023

brad pitt swung on his own kids and worked with a man who abused his wife after his wife confided in him about said abuse. there is nothing redeemable about that man and i’m tired of seeing everybody kiss his ass.

— sk (@kirkxxs) January 12, 2023

A number of tabloid news outlets have recently begun reporting that a judge involved in the ongoing legal dispute involving the couple’s winery has ruled that Pitt must hand over documents and communications which could prove he was abusive towards the actress and their children.

Indeed, supposedly the court has asked Pitt to disclose anything between 14 September 2016 to 31 December 2018. This means he’d have to hand over emails, texts and any other written communications, however, he is allowed to omit any and all comms between him and his attorneys or therapists.

This update has definitely refreshed public interest in the case and prompted people to reaffirm their allegiance with Jolie.

#JolieVsPitt 🍷📜

Angelina Jolie wins major legal victory! Brad Pitt has been ordered to hand over documents related to alleged abuse towards Jolie and their kids. The battle over Chateau Miraval gets even more intense. What secrets will these documents reveal? #AngelinaJolie… pic.twitter.com/FMxxno6kKP

— know the Unknown (@imurpartha) December 2, 2024

He needs to let her be. The way Brad Pitt fought to hide documents pertaining to the divorce Angelina Jolie filed should tell you everything.

Court documents on what happened on the plane, the FBI investigation, and the fact it was third parties that alerted the authorities. pic.twitter.com/ZUD92kuAKn

— AskAubry 🦋 🦝 (@ask_aubry) November 29, 2024

This entire ordeal is incredibly difficult to stomach, especially given the details that involve the couple’s children. Whatever the outcome is, it’s clear that none of us will ever look at Pitt the same way. No point being a heartthrob if you’re also an abuser.