Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s divorce proceedings have just taken a huge turn

Here’s what we know…

(Image credit: Rex)

Here’s what we know…

Despite filing for divorce 52 months ago, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt‘s separation has been a messy one, with their custody battle going to court.

Aside from Angelina originally filing for primary physical custody of their six children back in 2016, little is known about the now resolved disputes. But it is reported that while Angelina Jolie currently looks after the children, Brad will eventually get 50-50 joint custody.

angelina jolie coparenting

REX/Shutterstock
(Image credit: REX/Shutterstock)

But it wasn’t the custody of their children, their return to business together or the speculation around a Brad Pitt Charlize Theron relationship that confused the world this week.

Instead, it was their reported decision to ‘bifurcate’ their marriage, a move that allows both parties to have a ‘single’ status while continuing with divorce proceedings, rather than remain to be legally bound as they have been these past three years.

angelina jolie coparenting

MediaPunch/REX/Shutterstock
(Image credit: MediaPunch/REX/Shutterstock)

But it seems that even ‘bifurcating’ their marriage has turned messy, with a brief filed by Brad Pitt’s lawyer reporting that Angelina asked Brad to wait a week after he put forward the idea of bifurcating. She then apparently filed to bifurcate herself, according to Brad’s lawyer ‘to create the impression that she, not [Brad], wanted to bifurcate.’

And if you needed proof of how messy bifurcating can take, they’re still negotiating the terms a whopping seven months later.

It has been reported however that the reason behind the bifurcation is simply to ‘emotionally move on’.

Well, we didn’t expect that turn.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.