From being a highly successful screen goddess to championing humanitarian causes, Angelina Jolie wears many hats. However, at the center of it, all are motherhood and family. Jolie is a mom of six who significantly withdrew from the movie scenery to focus on raising her children and channeling her passion for charity. However, in 2016, the star and her ex-husband, Brad Pitt, made it to the news after they filed for divorce.

The process of reaching divorce finalization got so messy that the former power couple was enshrouded in a custody battle. There were also controversial issues that worsened the situation. While the pair were in the process of finalizing their divorce in 2019, the power continued in court. By 2023, it appeared that the dust had settled on their issues, even as they continued to butt heads over property.

Jolie decided to put the battle behind her and focus on her kids while pursuing newer endeavors. In September 2023, the star joined Vogue for an insightful interview on her new career dealings in fashion. During the talk, the star opened up on her struggles in the past years while alluding to life after her divorce.

The “Salt” actress’s tussle with the “Bullet Train” star began in 2016 when she sought to end their two-year marriage. Jolie cited irreconcilable differences and asked for physial custody of her children: Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh, Pax, Knox and Vivienne. In response, Pitt filed for joint legal and physical custody.

At the initial stage of the divorce drama, Pitt was accused of child abuse due to an incident that happened on a plane when the family was returning from a trip. However, the claims died down, and the divorce was finalized three years later.

In September 2023, Jolie opened up about life after divorce.

Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt (2007), (Francois Durand/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images)

Drama stirred up again in 2022 when Pitt sued her for selling part of their winery, Chateau Miraval, to a Russian billionaire, Yuri Shefler. Pitt wrote that he wanted the sale to be voided as he also sought legal fees payment. Pitt’s lawyers claimed that the mom-of-six carried out the sale to thwart his efforts to be involved with the property.

The former partners bought the property in 2008 and even had their wedding ceremony on it in 2014. Pitt gave Jolie 10% of his stake in the South of France property as a wedding gift. This, in turn, made them 50-50 owners. According to a Vanity Fair article centered around the issues of the winery, Jolie emailed Pitt in January 2021, telling him of her decision to sell her stake. The following month, the star actor agreed to buy her out of Miraval at $54.5 million.

The pair could not reach an agreement as Jolie refused to take his price. She would later sell Nouvel, the company in charge of her stake in Miraval, to Shefler’s Tenute del Mondo in October 2021. Tenute del Mondo is the winery wing of Shefler’s Stoli company. Pitt felt betrayed while also feeling like his ex-wife chose a different buyer because he won joint legal custody of their young kids.

The following year, in February 2022, Pitt filed a lawsuit against Jolie and the new buyers. Stoli countersued by seeking damages. Pitt later filed an amended complaint where he requested the reversal of the sale. The legal back-and-forths played out in public, and threatened Miraval’s existence.

Angelina Jolie (2003), (Stefan Zaklin/Getty Images News via Getty Images)

Incidentally, Jolie’s business manager suggested a clause when the couple was going to sign to buy the sprawling property.

The suggestion was that if the couple ever split, they would have the right to buy the other’s share of Miraval. Court documents revealed that Pitt rejected the idea and told his business manager it “wasn’t necessary for two reasonable people.”

He later claimed that he and Jolie agreed to never “sell their respective interests in Miraval without the other’s consent” which made him feel betrayed over the sale of Jolie’s shares without his knowledge. However, Jolie said the claim was false.

According to Vanity Fair, a leaked email Jolie sent to Pitt on Jan. 21, 2021, showed the effects of their divorce on Miraval.

“Dear Brad, I have reached a painful decision, with a heavy heart,” she began. She talked about how she had been excited to buy Miraval and make it their family home, and her fond memories of the place. “Even now [it is] impossible to write this without crying. I will treasure my memories of what it was a decade ago, she added.”

“I see now how you have really wanted me out and will most likely be pleased to receive this email, Jolie continued.”

The actress added that Pitt had exhibited “inconsiderate” behaviors and left her out of important decisions that she wouldn’t have approved of. She felt sad that Miraval had become the beginning of the end of their family.

“Miraval for me died September 2016,” she wrote, referring to the day of the plane incident, “and everything I have seen in the years since has sadly confirmed that.”

Their different visions for the company drove her to offer him a buy-out of her shares. Afterward, Jolie focused on her fashion business.

Angelina Jolie (2017), (Harold Cunningham/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images)

Speaking to Vogue in 2023 about the essence of her fashion line, Atelier Jolie, the actress delved into how she and the kids have been navigating life in regards to the aftermath of divorce. She started off by talking about how her children saved her. Jolie noted that she became a mom at 26, and the experience changed her life. She shared:

“Having children saved me—and taught me to be in this world differently. I think, recently, I would’ve gone under in a much darker way had I not wanted to live for them. They’re better than me, because you want your children to be.”

The star continued talking about how she wanted her kids to be their own persons, right down to how their fashion choices define them. The star noted that she never tells her children what to wear, even when they were way younger.

Diving into more emotional topics, Jolie relayed that she felt “a bit down these days. The star added, “I don’t feel like I’ve been myself for a decade, in a way, which I don’t want to get into.” Seemingly alluding to the messy divorce episodes, she shared:

“We had a lot of healing to do. We’re still finding our footing. I think part of this has also been therapeutic for me—to work in a creative space with people you trust and to rediscover yourself.”

Drawing on her struggles, Jolie shared that Atelier Jolie would channel helping women feel safe enough to be soft even as they still got their armor on. She relayed that she was not strong enough to be soft amid her past struggles because she felt vulnerable.

Maddox Jolie-Pitt, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Knox Jolie-Pitt, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, Zahara Jolie-Pitt (2021), (Emma McIntyre/WireImage via Getty Images)

Isn’t it inspiring that Angelina Jolie is channeling the struggles she faced amid divorce into creating fashion? What are your thoughts on her motherhood trajectory? Let us know, and be sure to pass this on to other Jolie fans.