Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt called it quits in 2016, but the incident that led to their split has remained contentious years after their divorce.
The Girl, Interrupted star filed for divorce from the Seven actor in September 2016, shortly after the pair flew from France to California with their six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh and twins Knox and Vivienne. After the plane landed, the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services investigated Pitt for child abuse because of an incident that allegedly happened during the flight.
Jolie didn’t initially reveal what occurred, but she hinted that the couple’s split had something to do with the incident when she announced her plans to divorce the Oscar winner. “Angelina Jolie Pitt has filed for dissolution of the marriage,” a rep for the actress told Us Weekly in September 2016, less than one week after the flight. “This decision was made for the health of the family. She will not be commenting at this time, and asks that the family be given their privacy during this difficult time.”
Two months later, the DCFS cleared Pitt in their investigation — as did the FBI, who investigated the case because the flight was international — but speculation about the incident continued.
The Thelma & Louise star addressed his split from Jolie in a May 2017 interview with GQ Style, though he didn’t comment on what allegedly happen during the flight.
“I was really on my back and chained to a system when Child Services was called,” the Oklahoma native said at the time. “It’s just very, very jarring for the kids, to suddenly have their family ripped apart. … Our focus is that everyone come out stronger and better people — there is no other outcome.”
The Unbroken director, for her part, didn’t get specific about the incident, but in March 2021, she stated in court documents that she and her children were willing to offer “proof and authority in support” of their domestic violence claims against Pitt. While that testimony never happened, Jolie reiterated her claims against the Ad Astra star in October 2022 as part of the duo’s battle over the French winery they shared during their relationship.
“On September 14, 2016, Jolie’s marriage came to an end,” the Maleficent actress’ legal team alleged in court docs obtained by Us. “On that day, Jolie, Pitt and their children were flying to Los Angeles from Château Miraval. Throughout the long, overnight flight, Pitt was physically and emotionally abusive to Jolie and their children, who were then between the ages of 8 and 15. After that flight, for her family’s well-being, Jolie decided to file for divorce.”
An insider close to Pitt disputed the Eternals star’s account, telling Us that the claims were “completely untrue.” The insider added: “She continues to rehash, revise and reimagine her description of an event that happened six years ago by adding completely untrue information each time she fails to get what she wants. Her story is constantly evolving.”
Keep scrolling for everything Jolie has alleged about what happened on the plane.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
Jolie filed for divorce shortly after the flight, citing irreconcilable differences. In a statement, the humanitarian said that the "decision was made for the health of the family." David Fisher/BAFTA/Shutterstock; Chris Pizzello/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Pitt was cleared of wrongdoing by the DCFS, and the FBI closed its investigation of the actor without pressing charges. In response to the news, a rep for Jolie told Us: “The job of the DCFS is to make sure the children are in a safe and secure situation. As we said earlier this week, childcare professionals encouraged a legal agreement accepted and signed by both sides that was in the best interest of the children. Angelina said from the beginning that she felt she had to take action for the health of the family and is relieved that after their 8-week involvement, the DCFS is now satisfied the safeguards are put in place that will allow the children to heal.” David Fisher/Shutterstock
Without going into specifics, the Changeling star addressed the plane incident in two interviews. "I don’t want to say very much about [the incident] except to say that it was a very difficult time and we are a family. And we’ll always be a family,” she told the BBC, getting teary-eyed and emotional. “And we’ll get through this time and hopefully be a stronger family for it. ... My family, we’ve all been through a difficult time. My focus is my children, our children, and it is — and my focus is finding this way through. And as I said, we are and forever will be a family. And so that is how I’m coping. I’m coping with finding a way through to make sure this somehow makes us stronger and closer.” She reiterated those sentiments days later in an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. “We are focusing on the health of our family," Jolie said. "So, we will be stronger when we come out of this because that’s what we’re determined to do as a family." When asked whether Pitt was still part of the family, she replied: “Of course. Of course, we will always be a family. Always.” Rocco Spaziani/UPI/Shutterstock
Though Pitt and Jolie were declared legally single in 2019, their custody battle was still ongoing two years later. In court docs, the filmmaker claimed that she and her children were willing to testify about Pitt's alleged domestic violence. An insider told Us at the time that the filing was nothing more than an attempt to "hurt" the actor. Maria Laura Antonelli/AGF/Shutterstock
In another court filing, Jolie alleged that Judge John Ouderkirk — whom she later had removed from the case — wouldn't let her children testify against their father. “Judge Ouderkirk denied Ms. Jolie a fair trial, improperly excluding her evidence relevant to the children’s health, safety, and welfare, evidence critical to making her case,” the docs claimed, according to the Associated Press. The First They Killed My Father director also argued the judge “failed to adequately consider” a portion of California legal code which asserts that awarding custody to a person with a history of domestic violence isn’t in a child’s best interest. One month later, Us obtained a December 2020 document in which Jolie's lawyers claimed that three of her children wanted to testify against Pitt. Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
When asked by The Guardian whether she feared for her children's safety after the incident, Jolie replied: “Yes, for my family. My whole family.” She added of her split from Pitt: “I’m not the kind of person who makes decisions like the decisions I had to make lightly. It took a lot for me to be in a position where I felt I had to separate from the father of my children.” Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock
Puck reported that Jolie filed a freedom of information lawsuit against the FBI in March 2022, seeking info about what led the agency to close its 2016 investigation of Pitt. In court docs obtained by Us at the time, “Jane Doe” claimed that she has been “seeking the withheld information for … years in an effort to ensure that her children receive” the “care” and “counseling” they need to “address harm suffered.” The complaint described the requestor of the documents as “a victim of the assault herself,” and alleged that the FBI “has hampered, and continues to hamper, her efforts to obtain for her children necessary ongoing care and medical attention, and has further harmed the children in the family law system.” Marco Provvisionato/IPA/Shutterstock
In court documents related to the battle over the winery, Jolie shared new details about what allegedly happened on the plane in 2016. She also alleged that she gave Pitt the opportunity to buy her share of Miraval before she sold it to a third party, but he wanted her to sign a nondisclosure agreement "that would have contractually prohibited her from speaking outside of court about Pitt’s physical and emotional abuse of her and their children." She refused to sign the NDA, and Pitt allegedly "walked away from the deal." Jolie explicitly stated in the docs that the plane incident was what caused her to file for divorce from Pitt. The Gia star alleged that Pitt "grabbed her shoulders and shook her" before "pushing her into the bathroom wall" following a verbal argument about the kids. "When one of the children verbally defended Jolie, Pitt lunged at his own child and Jolie grabbed him from behind to stop him," the filing continued. "To get Jolie off his back, Pitt threw himself backwards into the airplane’s seats injuring Jolie’s back and elbow. The children rushed in and all bravely tried to protect each other. Before it was over, Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face. Some of the children pleaded with Pitt to stop. They were all frightened. Many were crying." The papers further alleged that "Pitt periodically emerged from the back of the plane to yell and swear" at Jolie and the kids. "At one point, he poured beer on Jolie; at another, he poured beer and red wine on the children," the docs continued. When the plane landed, Jolie said she and the children were going to a hotel, but the Troy star allegedly "once again screamed at her, and pushed her down yet again" before he "grabbed and shook Jolie by the head and shoulders, causing one of the children to beg, 'Don’t hurt her.'" The documents also claimed that Jolie and the children have not returned to Miraval since the incident because of its "association with these traumatic events." After the docs made headlines, an insider close to Pitt told Us that the allegations were "completely untrue," adding: "[Angelina] continues to rehash, revise and reimagine her description of an event that happened six years ago by adding completely untrue information each time she fails to get what she wants. Her story is constantly evolving." Matt Baron/Shutterstock
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