Brad Pitt has spoken out for the first time since finalizing his divorce from Angelina Jolie after an eight-year legal battle.
The Oscar winner was speaking candidly about his life under public scrutiny in an interview with GQ, published May 28, when the topic of his divorce came about. Asked if there is "relief" now that he is "on the other side of the divorce finally being finalized," Pitt shrugged it off.
"No, I don't think it was that major of a thing. Just something coming to fruition, legally," he said.
Pitt, who was promoting his latest film "F1," also spoke about constantly being in the spotlight in a broader sense.
"My personal life is always in the news," he said. "It's been in the news for 30 years, bro. Or some version of my personal life, let's put it that way."
Pitt added that it has "been an annoyance" having his personal life exposed to the public.
"It's been an annoyance I've had to always deal with in different degrees, large and small, as I do the things I really want to do. So, it's always been this kind of nagging time suck or waste of time, if you let it be that," he said.
In 2016, Pitt and Jolie drew attention after an alleged incident aboard a private plane. According to Jolie's lawsuit, Pitt was accused of choking one of their children, hitting another, and grabbing Jolie by the head and shaking her, Variety reported. She filed for divorce just days after the reported altercation.
The divorce was settled on Dec. 30, 2024.
In a statement, Jolie's lawyer, James Simon, said the actor was "exhausted" by the legal process.
"More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr. Pitt. She and the children left all of the properties they had shared with Mr. Pitt, and since that time, she has focused on finding peace and healing for their family," Simon said, according to Variety. "This is just one part of a long, ongoing process that started eight years ago. Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved this one part is over."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.