It was the best of times, and now it is officially the worst of times. After more than a decade together and two years of marriage, the unconventional Hollywood romance between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie is over.
TMZ reported that Jolie filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences.” She asked for physical custody of the couple’s six children while giving Pitt joint legal custody and visitation. And from there, a planet-wide state of shock erupted and the rumor mill kicked into high gear.
As you attempt to grasp the reality of the super couple’s tragic split, here’s a look back at their history, from their scandalous start, their charitable endeavors, their multiple adoptions and their long-awaited marriage to their sorrowful end.
Summer 2004: Pitt and Jolie meet on the set of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.”
March 2005: Their couple name “Brangelina” becomes a thing. Pitt and Jennifer Anniston announce their split after five years of marriage. Anniston files for divorce.
May 2005: Jolie denies any off-set chemistry with Pitt during the production of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.”
June 2005: Jolie and Pitt attend Los Angeles premiere of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” but don’t pose for pictures on the red carpet together. They weren't fooling anyone.
July 2005: Jolie adopts 6-month-old Zahara from Ethiopia.
January 2006: Jolie confirms she is pregnant with Pitt’s child.
May 2006: Jolie gives birth to her daughter Shiloh Novel in Namibia. The couple sells the North American rights to the baby’s first pictures to People magazine for $4.1 million. The British rights to the photos were sold to Hello! for $3.5 million. All of the proceeds were donated to UNICEF.
October 2006: Pitt tells Esquire that he and Jolie will consider tying the knot “when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able.”
December 2006: Pitt and Jolie make it red-carpet official when they finally pose together for the first time at the premiere of Jolie’s “The Good Shepard.”
March 2007: Pitt and Jolie adopt 3-year-old Pax in Vietnam.
July 2008: Jolie gives birth to twins, which brings their number of children to a total of six.
July 2010: Jolie and Pitt sue News of the World for reporting they had split, and they win. They were a super couple and together they could accomplish anything.
December 2011: Jolie tells Christiane Amanpour that the Jolie-Pitt kids want Brangelina to get married (their kids, you know, along with the rest of the world).
April 2012: Pitt puts a ring on it! The couple announces their engagement.
May 2013: Jolie revealed she elected to undergo a preventative double mastectomy. Pitt shows his love and support.
August 2014: The couple is married in Chateau Miraval, France.
September 2014: Jolie’s wedding dress is revealed on the cover of Hello! magazine. Her kids helped design it.
March 2015: Jolie revealed she elected to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed after doctors detected possible signs of early cancer. Pitt hops on a plane to be by her side.
November 2015: Brangelina makes their final appearance as a married couple at the premiere of “By the Sea” in Hollywood.
September 2016: Love is dead. Brangelina is a thing of the past. Nothing makes sense anymore. The world may end. It was supposed to end in 2012 (the year they got engaged), and this year Jolie filed for divorce. Coincidence? I think not. Excuse me while I go cry into my pillow.
