While the aftermath of the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial continues to make waves through 2022, another famous ex-couple’s troubled past has been drudged up by a recent FBI probe.

CNN and others have reported about an FBI report from 2016 in which actor Angelina Jolie accused actor Brad Pitt, her husband at the time, of physical abuse of her and their children. The abuse allegedly occurred while the family traveled on a private plane — and was followed up by a swift divorce filing from Jolie, who has since (unsuccessfully) moved to retain sole custody of the couple’s children.

Similar to the Depp-Heard case, there’s plenty of information to sift through regarding Pitt and Jolie’s fallout — here’s what we know.

How Did The FBI Investigation Proceed?

While the new report concerns an incident from 2016, Politico published a story this April regarding a ‘Freedom of Information Act’ lawsuit hoping to secure records from the FBI. Puck then reported that a judge failed to clear the motion, and Politico went on to theorize Jolie and Pitt’s involvement from contextual clues, which were now confirmed as the records were released to the public.

What Happened, According To The FBI’s Documents?

Pitt, Jolie, and their six children were on a private jet flying from France to Los Angeles, California in September of 2016 when the alleged incident is said to have occurred.

As Rolling Stone writes: “The records include an interview summary in which Jolie purportedly told FBI officials that Pitt yelled at her, ‘grabbed her by her head,’ shook her, ‘pushed her into the bathroom wall’ and repeatedly punched the ceiling of the plane.”

As the flight’s 11-odd hours proceeded, Pitt allegedly consumed large amounts of alcohol, eventually pouring beer on Jolie’s head. According to her, $25,000 worth of damages from red wine stains were incurred for the private jet.

The papers also detail an ugly interaction between Pitt and one of the children onboard, although it’s unclear which one of the six kids was involved — some say that it was his oldest son Maddox. 

The minor called Pitt a ‘prick’ in response to his behavior, and the actor allegedly bolted at the child ‘like he was going to attack’, it was stated. Jolie stated that she responded by grabbing Pitt in a ‘choke hold’, with her ex then throwing himself back, causing injury to her back and elbow. Jolie detailed her injuries to FBI investigators, including a “rug-burn type wound on her right hand.”

FBI investigators shared: “Pitt pushed her again when she suggested taking the couple’s children to a hotel to get some much-needed sleep after landing. ‘You’re not taking my fucking kids,’ Pitt allegedly yelled in response.”

Jolie said that when she asked him what was wrong, Pitt allegedly replied: “That kid looks like a fucking Columbine kid,” drawing comparisons between one of the children and two high school students who, back in 1999, infamously murdered 12 students and one teacher, before killing themselves.

“She recalled that [redacted went on and said things like, “You don’t know what you’re doing,’” apparently referring to Jolie’s parenting, said the report.

Pitt’s Side of The Story

Jolie’s statements to the FBI tell her story plain and simple — that Pitt was physically abusive, abused alcohol while around minors, and was generally undeserving of custody as per her legal notices following the incident — she specifically requested sole physical custody and only visitation rights for Pitt.

In the three years that it took for Jolie and Pitt to legally declare singledom, further courtroom battles took place. The first was a heated dispute regarding a French winery that the pair owned and operated, which went in Jolie’s favor. As mentioned above, both were awarded joint custody in 2020. This was followed by a 2021 ruling by Judge John Ouderkirk that awarded Pitt with more time with his kids, although the judge was soon disqualified by a panel, and the decision was reversed.

Following the recent news, a spokesperson for Pitt has released a statement addressing the allegations.

“She wants to revive an issue that was painful for everybody and was resolved six years ago. They investigated it. They prepared materials, reviewed them together, and decided not to charge him. What are the motivations of a person to take up court time and public resources in filing an anonymous FOIA request for the material they have had for years?

There’s only one: to inflict the most amount of pain on her ex. There is no benefit to this. 

It is harmful to the children and the entire family for this to be made public. This is not a factual document. This is what she claimed happened. It was investigated and there were no charges brought. It’s standard for these types of things to not be released.”

Some outlets such as Marca claim that the released reports are a targeted attack on Pitt, who has just released a new film called Bullet Train. Despite the claims, he was ultimately cleared by the FBI of any wrongdoing, with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services concluding that he did not physically abuse his children.

Speaking about their split, Angelina said: “It has been so horrific that I almost have to see it as a godsend to be in a position to be able to fight this system. It doesn’t start with the violation [the plane incident]. It’s so much more complicated than that.”

She added to The Guardian that she just wanted her family to “heal” and for them all, including Brad, to “move forward”.

Lead Image: Wall Street Journal