What could have been a wonderful day to welcome the fall season became a day of mourning.
It was indeed the start of the “fall”– only, I wasn’t talking about crisp leaves and beautiful autumn colors. It’s the fall of my all-time favorite power couple.
The end of an era: It’s “Brangelina” no more.
I speak for most people when I say it was shocking to learn about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt calling it quits. After 12 years and six kids together, and after their two-year wedding anniversary, Jolie filed for divorce.
The news left so many fans (including me) heartbroken while we remember the once-happy-you-and-me-against-the-world romance that the couple shared.
The divorce document was filed in Los Angeles on Monday, Sept. 19, which cites “irreconcilable differences,” the usual boilerplate language in divorce proceedings, with no details about what the differences entailed. It says the two separated last Thursday, Sept. 15. It indicates Jolie is not seeking spousal support.
She lists “miscellaneous jewelry and other personal effects,” and earnings from and after the separation as “separate” property, and indicates community and quasi-community property are to be determined. It lists their six kids (Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 8).
In addition, she wants Pitt to have joint legal custody of the kids but she wants their sole physical custody. Divorce attorneys say that’s rare, even in celebrity divorces.
Celebrity divorce lawyer Neena Tankha, a partner at the New York firm Warshaw Burstein says, “They’ve been co-parenting for so many years, it’s unusual and surprising to see one parent asking for sole custody at this late stage. It suggests there was some incident or series of incidents that made Angelina think to question his parenting. It’s a very aggressive move for someone who has co-parented in the way this family has been accustomed.”
When asked what makes this divorce different, Tankha says, “They have six children and that’s not typical for celebrity couples at all — in fact, I can’t think of another celebrity couple with six children. But in the end, even a celebrity divorce is still a divorce.”
True enough, just like any celebrity divorce, speculations and gossip are going around. Some say an affair has caused the split (not that it’s unusual in Hollywood); some say it’s substance abuse.
A report confirmed that Pitt is under investigation for child abuse by the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services following an incident on a private plane in which he allegedly got “verbally abusive” and “physical” with one of the couple’s kids in front of Jolie and at least some of their other children.
Later, Pitt, 52, issued a statement to People, saying, “I am very saddened by this, but what matters most now is the well-being of our kids. I kindly ask the press to give them the space they deserve during this challenging time.”
Whatever the reason for their divorce, it doesn’t matter anymore. None of it will change what has been decided. I just hope it will not be a messy one and they’d still end up civil towards each other.
What saddens me most is that Jolie and Pitt had gone through a lot together. They are like the ultimate hashtag #marriagegoals. They are both multi-millionaire movie stars, both famous human-rights activists, owners of luxury properties in the USA and abroad, and the parents of six children. They’ve shown the world that a celebrity marriage can work if you are willing to make it work. That gave people hope. It gave me hope that love can truly conquer all despite the odds.
But that’s just how life is: relationships end, marriages fail. It doesn’t matter if you have all the money in the world, have a gorgeous spouse and talented children. I realized now that these Hollywood stars are just like us. When things get tough, they deal with it the way most of us, regular people, do.
And just like Tankha says, at the end of the day, a celebrity divorce is still a divorce.
Now that it is in the hands of their lawyers, the harrowing events will inevitably follow. And just like any other divorce, it will be painful and unsettling. The only difference between their divorce and regular people’s is that everybody will be watching. People will talk and they will be brutal. And this, I believe, is what the couple should be prepared for.
My heart breaks over this news, and I know I am not alone. But like any heartbreak, it will mend. I sincerely hope that after all of this, ‘Brangelina’ fans will find another couple to root for and maybe, make them believe again that “forever” can (still) be found in Hollywood.
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Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary all-natural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration. To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at [email protected]
