A new report claims that Angelina Jolie was the anonymous witness behind an FBI investigation into Brad Pitt for alleged assault. Here’s everything we know about the tumultuous relationship between the two Hollywood stars.
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Brangelina
In 2004, Jolie and Pitt famously fell in love on the set of their filmMr and Mrs Smith while Pitt was still married to Jennifer Aniston. Shortly after, Aniston filed for divorce and Jolie and Pitt became a couple. They adopted three children together and have three biological children, including twins.
After 10 years of being a couple, Jolie and Pitt finally married in 2014 at the vineyard they own in the south of France, Château Miraval. But only two years later, in 2016, they began divorce proceedings following an alleged domestic violenceincident on a private jet.
What happened on the private jet?
In 2016, Pitt was investigated by the FBI and the Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services after an anonymous witness alleged that he had 'verbally and physically assaulted' Jolie and their children on a private jet. However, the FBI ultimately decided not to press charges. Pitt’s team, meanwhile, denied all accusations.
As reported by Variety, Jolie has since anonymously filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the FBI in order to obtain documents related to the federal investigation against Pitt. Politico first speculated that Jolie was the anonymous witness in April this year, and Puck confirmed it on Tuesday 15 August.
Jolie filed for divorce within days of the incident, as reported by the Rolling Stone. What followed was an ugly custody battle over their six children. Under a temporary agreement, Jolie initially retained full custody. However, in 2021 after a lengthy court battle, Pitt was granted joint custody.
A connection with Vladimir Putin
In their ongoing divorce proceedings, they are also fighting over the winery where they were married, as reported by Puck. Pitt tried to buy out Jolie’s half of the business but she sold her interest to Tenute del Mondo, controlled by Stoli Group founder and Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler.
In a Los Angeles lawsuit against Jolie, that challenges the sale, Pitt claims that Shefler 'maintains personal and professional relationships with individuals in Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.'
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