Photo: DFree / Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock
He was still married to Jennifer Aniston.
By Nia Tipton — Written on Sep 08, 2022
The co-founder of Rolling Stone, Jann Wenner, recently revealed that Angelina Jolie was behind the 2005 paparazzi photos taken of her and Brad Pitt while the two were on vacation, and he was still married to Jennifer Aniston.
In Wenner's upcoming memoir "Like a Rolling Stone," he writes about how the photo that announced the beginning of Jolie and Pitt's relationship came to be.
Angelina Jolie was allegedly the one who arranged for her and Brad Pitt's relationship to be revealed.
Back in April 2005, Wenner owned US Weekly and shared that a photographer who worked with the publication received a tip that Jolie, and her son Maddox, were staying at a resort on the coast of Africa with Pitt, who was still married to Aniston.
At the time, Pitt and Jolie had started generating rumors that the two were together after starring in the film "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," though nothing had been confirmed until the paparazzi photos of them were leaked.
According to Page Six, the photographer was told not only where the couple was staying but also given details about the time of their daily walk, along with a suggestion of where they could be “secretly” photographed.
“We got the photo, we got the proof,” Wenner wrote, “we had the worldwide scoop, the debut of Brangelina. The tipster was Angelina.”
Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston had announced their split amid rumors about an affair with Angelina Jolie.
According to US Weekly, Pitt and Aniston announced their split in January 2005 in a joint statement.
“We would like to announce that after seven years together we have decided to formally separate. For those who follow these sorts of things, we would like to explain that our separation is not the result of any speculation reported by the tabloid media," the statement read.
"This decision is the result of much thoughtful consideration. We happily remain committed and caring friends with great love and admiration for one another."
The photos of Jolie and Pitt that confirmed the two were a couple had been taken in April 2005, while Pitt and Aniston were in the process of finalizing their divorce.
Their divorce was not finalized until October 2005, meaning Pitt and Aniston were still technically married when he was photographed on vacation with Jolie.
After Pitt and Aniston revealed their plans for divorce, rumors immediately began circulating that the end of their relationship was due to his controversial relationship with Jolie.
The two met and subsequently fell in love during the January 2004 filming of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," while Pitt was still very much in his marriage with Aniston.
Despite the rumors, Pitt denied that Jolie had played a role in the end of his marriage to Aniston, according to Micky.
“What people don’t understand is that we filmed Mr. & Mrs. Smith for a year,” Pitt said. "We were still filming after [Jennifer Aniston] and I split up. Even then, it doesn’t mean that there was some kind of dastardly affair. There wasn’t.”
However, Aniston shared her feelings toward Jolie in a 2008 interview with Vogue, criticizing the actress for going into detail about how her relationship with Pitt developed on set of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" in an interview.
"There was stuff printed there that was definitely from a time when I was unaware that it was happening," Aniston told Vogue. "I felt those details were a little inappropriate to discuss. That stuff about how [Angelina Jolie] couldn't wait to get to work every day? That was really uncool."
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.