Here's the Deal With Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's Complicated Divorce

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Angelina Jolie admitted that her split from Brad Pitt made things more difficult on her family life. Angelina and Brad got married in 2014 after dating for 12 years, but abruptly filed for divorce in 2016. To this day, they actually haven't officially gotten a divorce, though. 

In a 2020 interview with Vogue, Angelina opened up about the split, saying, "I separated for the well-being of my family. It was the right decision. I continue to focus on their healing. Some have taken advantage of my silence, and the children see lies about themselves in the media, but I remind them that they know their own truth and their own minds. In fact, they are six very brave, very strong young people."

Technically, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are still (legally) married, since the couple haven't come to an agreement about the custody of their children. According to documents obtained by Us Weekly, Angelina believes their lawyer, Judge John W. Ouderkirk, wasn't honest about his business relationship with Brad, and therefore is leaning on Brad's side. Angelina is reportedly fighting for a more fair trial.

“All my client is asking for is a fair trial based on facts, with no special favors extended to either side,” Samantha Bley DeJean, Angelina's lawyer, told Us Weekly. She added, “The only way litigants can trust the process is for everyone involved to ensure that there’s transparency and impartiality.” It also seems like their divorce hasn't been able to be settled as quickly thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Brad is seeing the kids but everything involved in their process of resolving legal matters between Angelina and Brad, including the courts, is slowed down because of COVID,” a source said last July. With the pandemic, it has been hard for everyone, including them. The legal process is slowed because of that. They are continuing regular visits but there has not been a lot of progress in terms of resolving anything," they added.

It's unclear when they'll officially be divorced. “They’re at a total impasse. And there’s no end in sight," another insider told Us.

Meanwhile, Angelina is back on the silver screen (she stars in the action film Those Who Wish Me Dead, which premieres on May 14). Although Angelina had pivoted to directing in the last few years, she told EW that her decision to act again is based on her current family situation. She's a single mom who has kids to support, and acting is less consuming for her.

"I love directing, but I had a change in my family situation that's not made it possible for me to direct for a few years," Angelina said. She added, "I needed to just do shorter jobs and be home more, so I kind of went back to doing a few acting jobs. That's really the truth of it."

Brad Pitt, meanwhile, is working on several projects, including producing the series adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's best-selling novel Americanah, and the series The Underground Railroad. Both are set to premiere in 2021, according to IMDb.