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They were spotted together on several occasions, but does that really mean anything?
By Rebekah Kuschmider — Written on Nov 23, 2019
Brad Pitt has been spotted out with a much younger woman and people are wondering if he's dating someone new, and if so, who she is.
The Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood star stepped out with "Arrested Development" actress Alia Shawkat several times in the past few months.
Shawkat is stretching her artistic wings after years on "Arrested Development" and several seasons of "Search Party," trying her hand at writing and producing, as well as acting.
Pitt has a long resume as a producer, so it's entirely possible he is mentoring the young actress or that the two may be working on a collaboration of some sort together.
He also has a history of dating younger women, so some folks are questioning whether the 55-year-old Oscar nominee might have romantic intentions with Shawkat, 30, even though she is 25 years his junior.
Who is Alia Shawkat, and is she dating Brad Pitt?
Read on for all the details.
1. Pitt is almost, but not quite, divorced from Angelina Jolie
It's safe to say that pretty much everyone knows who Brad Pitt is. The actor has personally been nominated for three Academy Awards — Best Supporting Actor once for 12 Monkeys (1996) and Best Actor twice, for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2009) and Moneyball (2012) — and served as producer on two films nominated for Best Picture, one of which, 12 Years a Slave, took home the Oscar in 2014.
He's probably equally famous for his unconventional relationship with, and contentious divorce from, actress Angelina Jolie. The couple, who have six children together, got together in 2004, when it was famously rumored they were having an affair while Pitt was still married to actress Jennifer Aniston.
Pitt and Jolie remained together for 12 years, getting married in 2014, then starting divorce proceedings in 2016.
They have been going back and forth about custody of the kids since then, and while their divorce isn't finalized as of yet, they were recently granted what's known as a bifurcation, which means they are legally single even if not legally divorced.
2. Pitt has a history of relationships with younger women
Jolie isn't the only Hollywood star Brad has been involved with over the years. He has quite a history of dating his co-stars and other starlets.
He dated Gwyneth Paltrow after they met on the set of Se7en in 1994.
He was rumored to have had an affair with Thelma and Louise co-star Geena Davis after filming wrapped.
He dated Juliette Lewis after they worked on Too Young To Die? together, despite the fact that she was 17 and he was ten years older.
He did not meet Jennifer Aniston on set. They were set up on a blind date by their agents in 1998. They married in 2000 but famously split in 2004 when Pitt met Jolie on the set of Mr. And Mrs. Smith.
3. Who is Alia Shawkat?
Despite being 25 years younger than Pitt, her impressive list of credits is nearly as long as his.
Shawkat has been acting seriously since she was 11 years old and scored a role on the ABC Family (now Freeform) series "State of Grace" in 2001. By 2003, she cast in "Arrested Development", playing the role of Maeby Funke.
She has continued working constantly since those early days, doing a combination of film, television, shorts and voice work.
In 2016, she played the lead in the TBS comedy "Search Party."
4. Shawkat's family is in the business
Shawkat's family has a history in show business. Her grandfather actor Paul Burke, was in the 1967 cult classicValley of the Dolls, and her father is both producer and strip club owner.
She admits to feeling conflicted about the strip club being part of her family history.
“I’m close with [my father], but I always have this kind of anger towards him: ‘But you own a strip club, you’ll never fully understand me,’” she said in an interview with The Guardian.
She says she doesn't have a problem with stripping as a profession, “but it’s about the power the male gaze has, and how strip clubs have been around forever and always will be. The male gaze drives not only society’s view of women, but how women view themselves."
5. Pitt and Shawkat have been seen together on more than one occasion
Pitt and Shawkat have been spotted out and about together a few times in recent weeks.
Various reports state they've been spotted together at an gallery in LA, as well as backstage at comedian Mike Birbiglia's show.
They may have also been seen together at a performance of Ethan Cohen’s" A Play Is A Poem," but while the woman in a photo snapped with Pitt does look a great deal like Shawkat, they are somewhat blurry and it's difficult to say for sure.
6. Shawkat is an artist in her own right
In addition to her work as an actress, Shawkat is a visual artist, with a website dedicated to displaying her own work, mainly drawings and mixed-media.
Her bio states, "As an 'artist', I hope to just express myself through all stages of my life. test my boundaries of what feels safe. safe boundaries. and all the while, still enjoy the drawing when it's done. art can be alive. enjoy the site."
She regularly shares her art and exhibit updates on her Instagram feed, as well.
7. Are Pitt and Shawkat dating?
So, is there anything romantic going on?
It sure doesn't look that way.
Friends have been shutting down the rumors, with one saying, "They've spent time together and have similar interests, but that's the extent of it ... They are not a couple and there's nothing romantic going on. Brad has different friends in different walks of life and this is one of them. He enjoys being social with friends."
All in all, it seems like there's neither smoke nor fire with this pair of stars. They're just two people who love art and theater and sometimes go enjoy both together.
So please let's remember, everyone — men and women can actually just be friends.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and she is a cohost ;of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.