In 2016, Donald Trump was (first) elected president, the UK voted for Brexit and Simone Biles won four gold Olympic medals in Rio. It’s also when Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt, but their bitter – and eye-wateringly costly – legal wranglings are still ongoing.
And now there’s been yet another ugly new turn, in the shape of a new legal missile Brad’s fired at Angelina. But the actress and director’s got an ace up her sleeve in the form of a devastating tell-all that sources say would lift the lid on their toxic marriage and take the pair’s nine-year feud to a whole new level.
An insider says, 'So far Angelina has stayed very tight lipped when it comes to her divorce and what really went down but if Brad continues to push her, she may change course and spill everything. That’s something a lot of people have urged her to do, and the more Brad battles her in court, the more appealing it gets.'
The warring Jolie-Pitt lawyers have battled over child custody and wealth division, but it’s their French vineyard that is causing the most enduring headaches.
In a nutshell, Ange sold her 50% share of Chateau Miraval – for a rumoured $64 million –to the Stoli Group. Brad claims this was negotiated secretly and in violation of a pact to never to sell without agreement from the other. Ange’s team counter that that Brad would only agree to buy her half if she signed an NDA – a non-disclosure document that legally bans her from talking publicly about their marriage.
Our source says, 'She says he backed her into a corner and gave her no choice but to sell to someone else when he tried to make buying her share [of Miraval] contingent on her signing an NDA about their marriage. That horrified her, no way would she let him muzzle her or take her rights away, who would? It was very triggering for her, she felt like he was trying to exert control over her from a distance with his pit-bull lawyers.'
The latest filing from Brad, who’s currently starring in mega-hit movie F1, is a demand to release his ex-wife’s private emails to Stoli Group’s Alexey Oliynik in a bid to allegedly unveil crucial evidence in his favour. But Angelina is on the verge of finally snapping. And if she does, there will be piping hot tea spilled, much of which could be seriously damning for Brad.
Our source says, 'She’s always held off because she values her privacy but he’s backing her into a corner. The more money he drains from her in legal bills the more in need of money she’s going to be. The offers she gets to share her side of the story are massive, and that’s before any bidding war. It’s feasible that she could make $50 million, or more, for a book deal. It would be a disaster for Brad if she does do this, he managed to recover his reputation but if she goes for the jugular, it could be devastating for him and the public may not be so forgiving.'
So, what could Angelina reveal? Well, there is the infamous and shocking private plane incident of 2016 which is what lead to her initially contacting divorce lawyers.
In August 2022, documents were made public alleging that Brad had choked one of his children, ‘struck another in the face’ and thrown alcohol over Angelina and the kids. Jolie said Pitt was 'becoming a monster' as he 'ranted' and 'screamed'. She said she was 'frozen, scared and didn’t know what to do' and that she felt 'like a hostage' on the plane.
No charges were brought, and Brad denies the allegations. Then, in 2023, documents stated that Angelina claimed that Brad had been abusive before the private plane events, but this was the first time he’d attacked the children – these have not come to light. So far.
Two of their children, Zahara, 20, and Shiloh, 19, are known to have removed the name ‘Pitt’ from their surnames – Shiloh legally. In 2023, Pax, 21, wrote a darkly ironic Father’s Day post to Brad calling him a ‘world class asshole’ and a ‘f**king awful human being’ whose four youngest children were scared of him. He added Brad had made the ‘lives closest to me a constant hell.’
Brad, who’s been sober with the help of AA since 2016, says that his alcohol problem contributed to issues in their marriage. Although he sees 17-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne, he’s alleged to have troubled relationships with the other four children, including oldest son Maddox, who turns 24 next month.
Our source says, 'The fact he tried to tie in an NDA to the sale [of Miraval] goes to show how afraid he is to have her speak out, and she knows it. That’s the ace up her sleeve and one she may end up having to use if he continues to go after her in court. She wants him to drop the case and accept that she was in her rights to sell and just move on.'
Sadly, the Provence-based vineyard represents far more than a business to the couple once known as Brangelina. Bought in 2008, the Jolie-Pitts holidayed there on many occasions and held their 2014 wedding on the property which seems to be part of the sticking point for Brad.
Our source tells us, 'Angelina wants him to drop the case and accept that she was in her rights to sell and just move on. But Brad isn’t near willing to even consider that. He believes he’s standing up for himself and his legacy and what’s right and doesn’t care if that means risking a whole ton of blowback from her.
'He won’t be bullied or live in fear of her and he’s not going to let half the company he worked so hard to build and the property he loves so dearly be sold out from under him. Miraval is his pride and joy, it’s way more than just a property or a wine business, and he says he will fight tooth and nail for it. The worry of course is that he’s losing sight of the big picture, and the mud Angelina is likely to sling if she snaps.'