Brad Pitt (Part 4)

Brad Pitt (Part 4)

Brad Pitt's involvement in political and social issues has been notable throughout his career. In 2004, he visited the University of Missouri campus to encourage student participation in the U.S. presidential election, where he expressed support for Democratic candidate John Kerry. Additionally, he publicly endorsed the principle of public funding for embryonic stem-cell research, advocating for the advancement of medical science and the pursuit of potential cures. Pitt's endorsement of Proposition 71 in California, aimed at providing state funding for stem-cell research, underscored his commitment to supporting scientific endeavors that could have far-reaching implications for healthcare and medical innovation.


Brad Pitt has been actively involved in various philanthropic endeavors and social causes throughout his career. Here are some highlights:

1. One Campaign: Pitt supports the One Campaign, an organization focused on combating AIDS and poverty in the developing world.
2. Global Health Initiatives: He narrated the PBS public television series "Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge," discussing current global health issues.
3. Humanitarian Aid: Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been involved in humanitarian efforts, including donating $1 million to organizations in Chad and Sudan dedicated to those affected by the crisis in Darfur.
4. Not On Our Watch: Pitt is one of the founders of Not On Our Watch, an organization aimed at stopping mass atrocities, along with George Clooney, Matt Damon, and others.
5. Architecture and Sustainable Housing: Pitt has a keen interest in architecture and sustainable housing. He founded the Make It Right Foundation, which aims to build sustainable, affordable homes in New Orleans's Ninth Ward following Hurricane Katrina.
6. Jolie-Pitt Foundation: Together with Angelina Jolie, Pitt established the Jolie-Pitt Foundation to aid humanitarian causes worldwide, making significant donations to organizations like Global Action for Children, Doctors Without Borders, and the U.N. refugee agency.
7. Support for Same-Sex Marriage: Pitt is a supporter of same-sex marriage and has donated to campaigns against initiatives like California's Proposition 8, which sought to overturn same-sex marriage legalization.
8. Political Endorsements: Pitt has endorsed political candidates and campaigns, including supporting Barack Obama's presidential campaigns and narrating an advertisement for Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign.

During the late 1980s to early 1990s, Pitt had romantic relationships with several of his co-stars, including Robin Givens from "Head of the Class," Jill Schoelen from "Cutting Class," and Juliette Lewis from "Too Young to Die?" and "Kalifornia." Following this, Pitt became engaged in a highly publicized romance with Gwyneth Paltrow, his co-star from "Seven," lasting from 1994 to 1997.
In 1998, Pitt met actress Jennifer Aniston, and they tied the knot in a private ceremony in Malibu on July 29, 2000. However, their marriage hit a rough patch, and in January 2005, they announced their decision to separate, with Aniston filing for divorce two months later, citing irreconcilable differences. Their divorce was finalized by the Los Angeles Superior Court on October 2, 2005. Despite rumors of a contentious relationship, Pitt mentioned in a February 2009 interview that he and Aniston maintained a connection and were significant parts of each other's lives.


During his divorce proceedings with Aniston, Pitt's relationship with his "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" co-star Angelina Jolie garnered significant media attention. Both Jolie and Pitt maintained that they fell in love on the set, denying any allegations of infidelity. In April 2005, shortly after Aniston filed for divorce, paparazzi photos surfaced showing Pitt, Jolie, and her son Maddox in Kenya, sparking rumors of a relationship. The media dubbed the couple "Brangelina," and they publicly acknowledged their relationship when Jolie announced her pregnancy with Pitt's child in January 2006. After seven years together, Pitt and Jolie announced their engagement in April 2012, eventually marrying on August 14, 2014, in a private ceremony at the Château Miraval, France. However, their marriage ended when Jolie filed for divorce on September 19, 2016, citing irreconcilable differences. They were declared legally single on April 12, 2019.
In 2022, Pitt began a relationship with Ines de Ramon, a jewelry designer who is 29 years his junior.


In July 2005, Pitt accompanied Jolie to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she adopted her second child, a girl. On December 3, 2005, Pitt was in the process of becoming the adoptive father of Jolie's daughter, and Jolie's first adopted child, a boy. On January 19, 2006, a California judge granted Jolie's request to change the children's surnames from "Jolie" to "Jolie-Pitt". The adoptions were finalized soon after.
Jolie gave birth to their daughter in Swakopmund, Namibia, on May 27, 2006. Pitt confirmed that their newborn daughter would qualify for a Namibian passport. The couple sold the first pictures of their daughter through the distributor Getty Images; the North American rights were purchased by People for over $4.1 million, while Hello! obtained the British rights for approximately $3.5 million. The proceeds from the sale were donated to charities serving African children. Madame Tussauds in New York unveiled a wax figure of the two-month-old; it marked the first time an infant had been honored with a statue in the museum.


On March 15, 2007, Jolie adopted a three-year-old boy from an orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Pitt adopted the boy in the United States on February 21, 2008.
At the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008, Jolie confirmed that she was expecting twins. She gave birth to a son and daughter on July 12, 2008, in Nice, France. The rights for the first images of the twins were jointly sold to People and Hello! for $14 million—the most expensive celebrity pictures ever taken. The couple donated the proceeds to the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.
In September 2016, the FBI and the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services investigated Pitt for child abuse following an incident on a plane, where Pitt was accused by an anonymous person of being "verbally abusive" and "physical" towards one of his children. In its final report on the investigation, the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services ruled that Pitt did not physically abuse any of his children. Pitt was also cleared by the FBI of any wrongdoing.


Since Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt on September 19, 2016, they have been embroiled in a custody battle over their children. Jolie had full custody until May 2021 when Pitt was granted joint custody, over four and a half years after proceedings began. However, in July, Los Angeles superior court judge John W. Ouderkirk was removed from the case due to concerns over his impartiality as he did not sufficiently disclose business relationships with Pitt's lawyers. This resulted in the custody arrangement reverting to a previous November 2018 agreement where Jolie has primary physical custody while Pitt has "custodial time" with their minor children.

References

1.  "Brad Pitt Biography". The Biography Channel. p. 1. Archived from the original on May 17, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
2. ^ Garth Pierce (September 28, 2008). "Would the real Brad Pitt please stand up?". Scotland on Sunday. Archived from the original on September 16, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
3. ^ Joyce J. Persico (September 29, 1995). "Hollywood Hunk Brad Pitt Is Casual About Celebrity". The Times-Picayune. p. L34.
4. ^ Catalano, Grace (June 1, 1995). Brad Pitt: Hot and Sexy. Bantam Books. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-553-57015-1.
5. ^ Tucker, Ken (February 23, 1990). "Too Young to Die?". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 16, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
6. a b Smith, Russell (October 19, 1993). "Brad Pitt Only Does Interesting Movie Roles". Deseret News. p. EV6. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017. It was in 1991, when he hitched his ride with Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise, that Pitt's star began to twinkle in earnest.
7. ^ "Across the Tracks – Cast, Crew, Director, and Awards". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2008. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved October 14, 2008.