Angelina Jolie Explained Why She Plans On Leaving Hollywood When Her Divorce From Brad Pitt Is Finalized

This article contains mention of physical and emotional abuse.

Brad and Angelina, who share six kids, got married in 2014 after almost a decade of dating. However, they suddenly split in 2016, with Angelina citing “irreconcilable differences” as she filed for divorce.

Angelina’s decision to end their marriage supposedly came right after Brad was accused of being physically abusive towards her and their eldest child, Maddox, on a private plane in Sept. 2016. Maddox was 15 at the time.

Angelina purportedly detailed the alleged plane incident in legal documents, accusing Brad of physical and emotional abuse. This led to Brad — who reportedly admitted to shouting at his son, but denied physically harming him or Angelina — being investigated by the FBI, though he was ultimately cleared of the charges.

The alleged private plane incident, along with their disputes over their shared assets and custody, meant that Angelina and Brad have endured an incredibly messy split, which is still unfolding in the public eye.

In 2021, Angelina opened up about the toll that the public divorce has taken on her, admitting that she’s felt “broken” for the “last decade.”

Now reflecting on the impacts of the split in a little more detail, Angelina — who sat down with Wall Street Journal this week — revealed that once her and Brad’s divorce is finalized, she plans on leaving Los Angeles entirely.

Explaining that she finds Hollywood and its surrounding areas to be “shallow,” Angelina detailed her hopes to spend more time seeking “authenticity,” and noted that because of her divorce, she’s been unable to travel as “freely” as she’d have liked to over the past few years.

For some context, Angelina has spent years visiting refugee camps across the globe and working with the United Nations to support refugees. She’s also adopted three of her six children from orphanages in Cambodia, Ethiopia, and Vietnam.

Angelina told WSJ, “Because I grew up around Hollywood, I was never very impressed with it. I never bought into it as significant or important.”

“I grew up in quite a shallow place. Of all the places in the world, Hollywood is not a healthy place. So you seek authenticity,” she went on.

“There’s a reason people who have been through hardship are also much more honest and much more connected, and I am more relaxed with them,” she said. “Why do I like spending time with people who’ve survived and are refugees? They’ve confronted so much in life that it brings forward not just strength, but humanity.”

“I realized my closest friends are refugees. Maybe four out of six of the women that I am close to are from war and conflict,” she said, adding that in LA, on the other hand, she said that she doesn’t have much of a “social life.” 

Angelina went on to say that “after” her divorce, she “lost the ability to live and travel as freely.” She revealed, “I will move when I can.”

Speaking of her divorce more closely, Angelina shared that she and her kids have “had to heal” following the tumultuous past few years.

“We had to heal,” she said. “There are things we needed to heal from.”

“They are the closest people to me and my life, and they’re my close friends,” she later added, speaking of how close she is with her kids. “We’re seven very different people, which is our strength.”

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger as a result of domestic violence, call 911. For anonymous, confidential help, you can call the 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or chat with an advocate via the website.

If you are concerned that a child is experiencing or may be in danger of abuse, you can call or text the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-2253 (4.A.CHILD).