Angelina Jolie is shedding more light on the “painful events” that led to her divorce from Brad Pitt.
In a personal declaration submitted to a California court on Thursday (October 9), Jolie opened up about her tumultuous marriage to Pitt amid the ex-couple’s ongoing legal stoush over their French winery, Château Miraval. Pitt is demanding the court order his ex-wife to share private messages, alleging she “acted with malice” when she sold her shares of the property to a third party without his permission in 2021, a claim she denies.
According to legal documents obtained by E! News, neither Jolie nor their children have visited the estate since she filed for divorce in 2016. The former Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-stars share six kids: Maddox, 24, Pax, 21, Zahara, 20, Shiloh, 19, and twins Max and Vivienne, 17.
“The events leading to my need to separate from my ex-husband were emotionally difficult for me and our children,” she stated. “Upon filing for divorce, I left him control (and full residency) of our family homes in Los Angeles and at Miraval, without compensation, which I hoped would make him calmer in his dealing with me after a difficult and traumatic period.”
Jolie has previously alleged that Pitt verbally and physically assaulted her and one of their children on a flight, claims he has consistently denied. She reiterated in the court documents that she and her kids “have never again set foot on the property, given its connection to the painful events leading to the divorce,” despite the “deep emotional ties” she holds for the home.
“Miraval was one of the first major investments we made together, and it was a focal point of our family life. We were married there, I spent part of my pregnancy there and I brought our twin children home there from the hospital,” she said. “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.”
Jolie and Pitt reached a settlement in their years-long divorce battle in December 2024. Since the split, Pitt has made candid remarks about his past mistakes and attending AA meetings, while Jolie has spoken about finding her “greatest gift” after the “dark” divorce.
