Angelina Jolie’s brother James Haven has revealed how he’s helped to protect his sister’s children after her divorce from Brad Pitt.
During an appearance on the 90who10podcast hosted by Jessica Entner, Haven, 52, spoke about how he shifted his focus to his family once the Maleficent star’s split went public. “That’s where it all started, it started with the protection of her and her children — my nieces and nephews,” he said.
“I set my life up so I can be present with whatever the situation. I want to be there for them or for her — whatever she’s going through,” Haven continued.
In the actor’s eyes, his niece and nephews needed him for their family because the situation was tough to deal with at their age. He described the time in their lives “as massively formative years”.
He noted: “They’re becoming young adults early 20s. I think it’s just very natural and I just want to be there any time. Anytime I’m blessed to be in their presence, I want to be in their presence.”
Jolie and Pitt met on the set of the famed film Mr & Mrs Smith in 2003. At the time, the Fight Club lead was still married to Jennifer Aniston. In 2007, Jolie reflected on those years in conversation with Vogue, noting how Pitt and Aniston seemed to be “best friends”.
“I didn’t know much about exactly where Brad was in his personal life,” she told the outlet. “But it was clear he was with his best friend, someone he loves and respects.”
By 2005, Pitt and Aniston called their marriage off. That same year, Jolie travelled to Ethiopia to adopt her daughter, Zahara Marley. This was her second adoption. In 2002, the Original Sin welcomed her son Maddox from Cambodia.
Even before Pitt and Jolie made their relationship official, Pitt elected to adopt both Zahara and Maddox, changing their last time to “Jolie-Pitt.” They then welcomed Shiloh, their first biological child together, in 2006. The next year Jolie went to Vietnam to adopt Pax Thien.
Jolie gave birth to twins Knox and Vivienne, the last two children shared between her and Pitt, in 2008. But the couple still hadn’t tied the knot yet. They wed in 2014 and divorced two years later.
According to a Page Six report, court documents obtained stated that the Troy actor “choked one of the children and struck another in the face” during an altercation on a private jet in 2016. “At one point he poured beer on Jolie; at another, he poured beer and red wine on the children,” the document stated, adding that he also “grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her”.
Later, it came out that Pitt confessed he had raised his voice while addressing the kids. However, he said he never got physical with any of them. Though they were officially divorced in 2019, the two have still not resolved their custody dispute and other terms of their divorce.
