Angelina Jolie Divorcing Brad Pitt: A Look Back At His 2005 Split From Jennifer Aniston

After more than 10 years together, two blissful years of marriage and six children — adopted and biological — Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have decided to call it quits. Neither is a stranger to the divorce process. In fact, the stars got together while Pitt went through another highly publicized split from a well-known actress.

In 2005 fans everywhere were left heartbroken by the news that the Academy Award winner and wife Jennifer Aniston were separating. At the time the couple had been married for five years, tying the knot in an over-the-top Malibu, California, wedding. The New York Daily News reports that the ceremony cost Pitt and Aniston $1 million and featured 50,000 flowers, a choir, four bands and fireworks. More than 200 of their closest friends and family were in attendance. In the years that followed Pitt, 52, and Aniston were hailed as one of the most beloved couples in Hollywood. They made a number of public appearances together and were thought to be very happy. In 2001 rumors began swirling that Pitt and Aniston were considering having children together. As we now know, that never happened.

Things took a turn for the worse in just two years time — at least, that’s what the tabloids reported. At the time Pitt was filming “Troy” and “Ocean’s Twelve,” while Aniston was hard at work on the set of “The Good Girl.” Their hectic schedules meant spending an increasing amount of time apart, which lead to rumors about whether they’d be able to withstand the distance. Still, Pitt and Aniston sported strong faces during each and every public appearance they made. In September 2004, just months before their divorce announcement, the couple took on the Primetime Emmy Awards together. At the time, Pitt had begun filming “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” — the first film he and Jolie starred in together. Stories circulated suggesting that he and his second wife sparked up an extramarital affair during this time. A 2011 report on Page Six reported that an unauthorized book, titled “Confidential: The Life of Secret Agent Turned Hollywood Tycoon Arnon Milchan,” stated that he “fell in love” with her during production. The memoir, written by Joseph Gelman and Meir Doron, claims that Milchan is responsible for having introduced Pitt and the 41-year-old actress. He “immediately sensed that there was a spark between them” and the rest, as they say, was history.

By January 2005 it was official. The “Friends” actress announced on Jan. 7, that she and Pitt would be separating. Their divorce made headlines, with the New York Daily News print edition publishing a story stating that conflicting schedules and opinions on whether to have children were to blame for their demise. A statement released to People magazine shut down tabloid rumors. Aniston and Pitt said they would “happily remain committed and caring friends.” In the years that have followed fans have struggled to let go of the relationship, waiting on baited breathe for a potential reunion. In a 2015 interview, Aniston addressed their relationship’s end, telling The Hollywood Reporter (via Daily Mail) “nobody did anything wrong.” She insisted that things simply don’t work out, asking that the media stop perpetuating false claims about the status of their friendship or lack thereof nearly 20 years after the fact.

“We’re not in daily communication,” she said. “If the world only could just stop with the stupid, soap-opera bulls---.”

Pitt’s latest divorce has brought on more buzz about Pitt and Aniston’s failed relationship. The “Mother’s Day” star, however, is likely unamused by jokes and memes circulating on the web. In the years since her divorce from Pitt, she has found love again with Justin Theroux. The pair started dating the actor/director in 2011, nearly seven years after she and the “Fight Club” actor ended their marriage. Aniston and Theroux were quiet about their relationship, denying it until June 2011 when news broke that she and her beau had moved in together. Insiders told Us Weekly at the time that she was “introducing him as her boyfriend” after getting him settled in her Los Angeles home. By 2012 the rumor mill was abuzz with claims Aniston, 47, was ready to give marriage a shot once more. TMZ reported that she and Theroux were looking for places in Europe to get married. Those reports proved false. The couple became engaged in August 2012, with Theroux getting down on one knee during his 41st birthday.

Nearly three years later, in August 2015, Aniston and her knight in shining armor were married in what People magazine reported was a top secret ceremony. Aniston confirmed that guests were unaware of what they were attending when they were called to the couple’s Bel Air, California, home to celebrate and were not permitted to have cell phones or cameras inside the ceremony.

It seems highly unlikely that Aniston will address her ex’s divorce. Details continue to emerge about Pitt and Jolie’s divorce, though it is not clear at this time when they will reach a resolution.