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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's divorce took eight years, an unusually long amount of time.
Still, experts told Business Insider that some factors — such as child custody and shared businesses — naturally lengthen divorce proceedings, and hold lessons for all couples.
The two actors met on the set of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" in 2003, but they did not publicly date until after Pitt's former wife, Jennifer Aniston, filed for divorce from him in 2005. The couple, who became known as Brangelina, adopted three children and had three more before getting married in France in 2014.
Two years later, Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, citing irreconcilable differences.
James J. Sexton, a New York City divorce lawyer, told Business Insider previously that issues like child custody and closely held businesses can always complicate divorce proceedings. "There's almost no limit to how many things you can fight about," he said.
In addition to fighting over custody of their six children, Jolie and Pitt had to contend with a winery they co-owned and multiple shared homes. Here's why it took so long:
Before finalizing their divorce, Jolie and Pitt became legally single in 2019.
The move allowed Jolie to restore her name from "Jolie Pitt" and for both couples to date and even remarry if they wanted to. Other celebrities like Kim Kardashian have also opted to become legally single before finalizing their divorces.
While it has benefits, like letting couples move forward with their lives as they figure out their settlements, it can also incentivize couples to prolong proceedings.
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Sexton previously told BI that vindictive behavior can make divorce a nightmare, particularly if clients are willing to fight over every asset.
Despite initially trying to keep proceedings private, Jolie and Pitt's divorce process became more public and turned contentious several times. In an August 2018 court filing, Jolie alleged that Pitt hadn't paid any "meaningful child support" over the span of two years. In response, Pitt said he had paid more than $1.3 million in child support and accused Jolie of wanting to "manipulate" the media.
Pitt also sued Jolie in 2022 for selling her shares in their winery, Château Miraval, to the Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler without telling him — an alleged violation of an agreement to notify him before selling her stake in the company. Jolie, who reportedly did inform Pitt of her intention to sell in 2021, filed a counterclaim, saying she rejected the agreement because Pitt had asked her to sign an NDA, the New York Times reported. (This case is ongoing.)
David Lister, a senior partner at Vardags law firm in London and a family lawyer for 37 years, told Business Insider that this is a classic obstacle for couples, especially if they share businesses.
He said that divorcing couples want to sort out external factors before completing a divorce, and it's not always clear how smooth — or bumpy — each external case will be.
A few legal proceedings also delayed the Jolie-Pitt divorce.
Outlets, including the BBC, reported that California Judge John Ouderkirk, the first judge presiding over their divorce, awarded Pitt more time with their children in May 2021. The decision was reversed a few months later.
Outlets reported that an appeals court deemed it an "ethical breach" because Ouderkirk had previously worked with Pitt's lawyers.
By 2022, Jolie filed court papers alleging that, shortly before she filed for divorce, Pitt verbally and physically abused one of their six children on their private jet.
The FBI and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services investigated Pitt in 2016 but did not charge or arrest Pitt after they completed their investigation that year.
Jolie alleged that a federal agent who investigated the incident had concluded that the government "had probable cause" to charge Pitt for the incident.
Pitt's representatives denied the abuse occurred, telling CNN in 2022 that Jolie's story "continues to evolve each time she tells it. Brad has accepted responsibility for what he did but will not for things he didn't do."
