Angelina Jolie has opened up in stark new detail about the emotional and financial toll of her split from Brad Pitt.
Jolie, 50, and Pitt, 61, became one of Hollywood’s most talked-about couples after meeting on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith in 2005.
They married in 2014 at Château Miraval, the French estate they purchased together, and share six children.
But just two years after their wedding, the Maleficent star filed for divorce in 2016, citing irreconcilable differences.
The divorce was finalized in 2024, though their legal entanglements are far from over.
Miraval Tied to ‘Difficult and Traumatic’ Chapter
In a new court filing submitted on Monday in Los Angeles, Jolie described the emotional weight Château Miraval still carries.
As the former couple continues to fight over the winery’s ownership, the Lara Croft actress said the estate is inextricably linked to the breakdown of their family.
“The events leading to my need to separate from my ex-husband were emotionally difficult for me and our children,” she said in her declaration, per Page Six.
She added that neither she nor the children, Maddox, 24; Pax, 21; Zahara, 20; Shiloh, 19; and twins Knox and Vivienne, 17, have returned to the château since the split.
“Post-separation, I immediately began to look for a new house for me and our children, initially renting a home while looking for a more stable solution,” she wrote.
Finances, Family, and Emotional Fallout
The Maria star claimed her savings were tied up in the winery and that she hadn’t asked Pitt for alimony or financial support, choosing instead to take two years off work to focus on her children’s recovery.
“I was also very concerned about the health of our children,” she said, noting that Pitt allegedly agreed to loan her money “with interest”.
In 2017, she attempted to sell her share of Miraval to the Fight Club actor, but she said the conversations were fraught with emotional strain.
“Miraval was one of the first major investments we made together, and it was a focal point of our family life,” she said. “We were married there, I spent part of my pregnancy there and I brought our twin children home there from the hospital. To have such a sudden break from my home and memories has been hard, and it was especially difficult for the children to have their lives so disrupted.”
.jpg_ecqqEX?tr=f-WEBP,q-70,cr-0.0.1024.668,rt-0&config=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)
The NDA Dispute and Sale to Stoli
By 2021, Jolie claimed her ex-husband demanded she sign a non-disclosure agreement before he would buy out her share of Miraval.
She refused, saying there was “no practical need for the NDA,” as she had not spoken publicly about the alleged abuse that led to their divorce, USA Today reported.
“As the mother of our children, as well as an advocate for victims of violence around the world, I found his demand extremely painful,” she wrote.
After the deal collapsed, Jolie sold her shares to Stoli Group, prompting Pitt to sue. His legal team called the sale unlawful, while Jolie’s countersuit argues there was no agreement requiring mutual consent for a sale.
Her lawyers claim Pitt pulled out of the deal after she submitted sealed evidence of domestic violence during their custody dispute.
The dispute has escalated into a discovery fight, with Pitt requesting Jolie’s private messages and communications with her legal team. Jolie’s lawyers are pushing back, calling the motion “without any legal basis” and a continuation of Pitt’s “efforts to control Angelina.”
Jolie is now seeking $33,000 in attorneys’ fees for responding to Pitt’s request.
In one redacted communication included in the court filing, Jolie wrote: “I need to remove all stress. I honestly feel I am getting sick from worry. So, I would like us to discuss better support and not continuing relationships that you see cause me stress."