⁠“I don’t think it was that major of a thing” — Brad Pitt addresses his 8-year divorce battle with Angelina Jolie for the first time since settlements

Brad Pitt is getting candid about his highly-publicized split from Angelina Jolie.

The pair finalized their divorce in December 2024, eight years after being embroiled in legal battles. Pitt, 61, spoke to GQ about his forthcoming racing movie, F1, for a feature that came out this Wednesday, May 28. There, he also reflected on how he felt when he and his ex-wife, 49, finally reached a settlement.

“No, I don’t think it was that major of a thing," Pitt said. "Just something coming to fruition. Legally.”

Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016, days after she returned from a private jet flight where she claimed Brad Pitt got abusive to her and their six children. As pointed out by People Magazine, Jolie refused to press charges. The pair share six adopted and biological children: Maddox, 23, Pax, 21, Zahara, 20, Shiloh, 19, and 16-year-olds Knox and Vivienne.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had been married for only two years when the latter accused him of being abusive. However, they first met on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith and began dating shortly after, in the mid-2000s. By 2014, they tied the knot.

Brad Pitt talks divorce, girlfriends, and life in the public eye

This December, Angelina Jolie's lawyer confirmed that the pair had reached a settlement, when he said the following in a statement obtained by NBC News on December 31:

“More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr. Pitt,” attorney James Simon said. “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.” He added, “Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved this one part is over.”

Brad Pitt was also probed about his new girlfriend, Ines de Ramon, with whom he made things official at the 2024 British Grand Prix. When asked if he had decided beforehand to take the next step at the F1 race, he responded:

“No, dude, it’s not that calculated,” Pitt says, chuckling. “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.”

Reflecting on how it feels to raise a family in the public eye, Brad Pitt said he has since acclimated to the “annoyance” that comes with it.

“My personal life is always in the news,” he told GQ. “It’s been in the news for 30 years, bro. Or some version of my personal life, let’s put it that way. 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, I don’t know.”

“I don’t know. Mostly I feel pretty….My life is fairly contained,” he added. “It feels pretty warm and secure with my friends, with my loves, with my fam, with my knowledge of who I am, that, you know, it’s like this fly buzzing around a little bit.”

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Brad Pitt's forthcoming movie, F1, was directed by Top Gun: Maverick filmmaker Joseph Kosinski. It stars the Oscar-winning actor and Damson Idris as Formula One drivers, and releases on the big screens this June 27.

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