Brad Pitt downplays Angelina Jolie divorce settlement as not 'that major'

USA Today

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Brad Pitt downplays Angelina Jolie divorce settlement as not 'that major'
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'F1': See new trailer with Brad Pitt ripping around a racetrack
Watch the new trailer for "F1," with Brad Pitt ripping around in a very fast Formula 1 car.
After years of keeping matters related to his divorce from Angelina Jolie mostly confined to the courtroom, Brad Pitt is speaking out about the drawn-out legal matter.
On May 28, GQ published a feature story on Pitt's latest film, "F1," and asked him about his December divorce settlement with Jolie following an eight-year battle in court. And Pitt had a surprisingly toned-down response to the question about whether the finalized matter brought any "relief."
"No, I don't think it was that major of a thing," Pitt told the magazine. "Just something coming to fruition. Legally."
He appeared to have a more impassioned answer to an ensuing question about whether his first public outing with partner Ines de Ramon at the 2024 British Grand Prix in July was a deliberate decision.
"No, dude, it's not that calculated," Pitt told GQ. "If you're living — oh my God, how exhausting would that be? If you're living with making those kinds of calculations? No, life just evolves. Relationships evolve."
The GQ cover story also spoke with director Joseph Kosinski and co-stars Damson Idris and Lewis Hamilton (also a producer) about the making of what the magazine called "the greatest racing movie of all time," which releases June 27.
Amid Brad and Angelina's divorce, children distanced themselves from Pitt's name
Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in September 2016, more than a decade after they met on the set of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." Upon its finalization, Jolie's lawyer, James Simon, told USA TODAY in a statement that "Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved this one part is over."
"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. This is just one part of a long ongoing process that started eight years ago," the Dec. 31 statement read.
Brad Pitt's daughter changes her name: Shiloh Jolie granted request to drop her dad's last name
Pitt, 61, and Jolie, 49, share six children: Maddox, 23; Pax, 21; Zahara, 20; Shiloh, 19; and 18-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.
In May 2024, on her 18th birthday, Shiloh dropped her hyphenated last name and petitioned for a legal name change to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie, which was approved nearly three months later. People also reported that month that Vivienne dropped "Pitt" from her name in the Playbill credit for the buzzy Broadway musical "The Outsiders," which her mom produced.
Aside from the divorce, Pitt and Angelina Jolie had also previously been engaged in an ongoing legal battle over the finances of their winery, Château Miraval, as well as custody over their children.