Before Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie sizzled on the silverscreen in their 2005 film Mr and Mrs Smith, the movie star was married to America’s sweetheart Jennifer Aniston.
The iconic couple shared a deep love for one another, as well as matching outfits and hairstyles. If they had stayed married, they would have celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary this year.
As we know, things didn’t work out that way. Since we can’t predict the future, why not look back on how things used to be?
The beginning:
Brad and Jen met in 1994 through their managers. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Aniston described him as a sweet, normal guy from Missouri. At the time, Pitt was dating fellow actor Gwyneth Paltrow, a relationship that would end a few years later in 1997.
In 1998 the pair first began dating after their agents set them up. It was on this first date that Aniston knew they were meant to be, she told Diane Sawyer in an interview.
“It was weird … That was a really easy evening. It was really fun.”
At the time, they were already two of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars, so it wasn’t long before their relationship was uncovered. In April 1999 they made their official debut as a couple at the Emmy Awards.
Love and marriage:
A few months after going public, the pair announced their engagement at a Sting concert in November 1999. The pair crashed the stage and Aniston showed off her new diamond sparkler.
They tied the knot on July 29, 2000 on a Malibu bluff. For her big day, Aniston wore a glass-beaded floor length silk and satin gown with a low back, designed by Lawrence Steele. She accessorised with a circular veil topped with a pearl-and-Swarovski-crystal crown.
Their wedding had 200 guests who were entertained by four bands, a gospel choir and fireworks, reports People. The wedding is estimated to have cost $1-million.
Of course, Friends co-stars Courtney Cox Arquette, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry and Lisa Kudrow were in attendance (Matt LeBlanc could not attend as he was filming a movie in Budapest at the time).
Other notable names in attendance included Pitt’s Fight Club co-star Edward Norton with Salma Hayek, who he was dating at the time, as well as Cameron Diaz, David Arquette and David Spade. Aniston’s mother was not present, as they were estranged.
Things fall apart:
For the first few years after their wedding, things were going well for the pair. In 2004 when Friends was ending, Aniston said she was looking forward to being able to dedicate time towards starting a family with Pitt.
“Yeah. It’s time. It’s time. You know, I think you can work with a baby, I think you can work pregnant, I think you can do all of it,” she said in an interview with The Guardian. “So I’m just truly looking forward to slowing down.”
At the time, Pitt had signed on to star in Mr and Mrs Smith alongside Angelina Jolie. In her interview, Aniston said she and Pitt planned to travel after filming wrapped.
As we all know, this was the beginning of the end of the couple. By May 2004, cheating rumours began to circulate and Pitt and Jolie became closer during filming.
Much later in 2006, Jolie told W Magazine that love began to blossom between them on set.
“Because of the film we ended up being brought together to do all these crazy things and I think we found this strange friendship and partnership that kind of just suddenly happened,” she said. “I think a few months in I realized, ‘God, I can’t wait to get to work.
“We just became kind of a pair. And it took until, really, the end of the shoot for us, I think, to realize that it might mean something more than we’d earlier allowed ourselves to believe.”
It’s over:
“We would like to announce that after seven years together we have decided to formally separate,” read their joint statement. “For those who follow these sorts of things, we would like to explain that our separation is not the result of any of the speculation reported by the tabloid media. This decision is the result of much thoughtful consideration. We happily remain committed and caring friends with great love and admiration for one another.”
By October of that same year, their divorce was finalised.
The world quickly took sides and joined wither ‘Team Jen’ and ‘Team Angie’ as news on the couple’s break-up dominated headlines. To date, its been one of the largest, most influencial celebrity break-ups in history in terms of its impact on pop culture.
In an interview, Aniston famously said Pitt was missing a sensitivity chip. She also later told Vogue that she learnt many details of the affair from interviews Pitt and Jolie did.
Moving on
Since their breakup, Pitt went public with Jolie and they married in 2014. They have six children together, and announced their divorce in 2016, filing irreconcilable differences.
Aniston also remarried when she said ‘I do’ to actor Justin Therous in 2015. They later divorced in 2018.
With both actors single, many rumours began to circulate that they would get back together. Soon after his divorce, Pitt reportedly reached out to Aniston. In February 2019, he attended Aniston’s 50th birthday party and have had a few run-ins since.
Feature image: Pinterest
