Angelina Jolie’s Brother Once Revealed How Their Bond Shifted After Her Split With Brad Pitt

Angelina Jolie and her brother James Haven shared a close sibling relationship. The siblings made headlines back when Jolie accepted her Academy Award for Girl, Interrupted with the display of affection for each other. Despite the surprise expressed by many regarding the depth of their affection, both Jolie and Haven have consistently maintained that their relationship is purely that of siblings.

The duo have never shied away from sharing their love for each other as they grew up with their mother. According to The Things Haven expressed his love for Jolie's kids, he said, "Anytime I'm blessed to be in their presence, I want to be in their presence. A quality that... I got it from my mom..." The actress from Eternals shares six children with her former spouse, Brad Pitt: Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh, Pax, and twins Knox and Vivienne.

Sharing how the dynamics of the siblings changed after her split from actor Brad Pitt, Haven expressed a desire to support Jolie. Despite the passage of years since the divorce, the conflict between Pitt and Jolie persists. During a rare interview on the 90who10 Podcast, James Haven discussed his wish to "protect" Jolie and the children. "I think it's natural and that's where [my bond] all started, it started with the protection of her and her children - my nieces and nephews [during] those massively formative years," he said, per the New York Post. 

Upon learning about Jolie and Pitt's separation, he felt compelled to offer his support to the Maleficent star and his nieces and nephews. Driven by his unconditional desire to protect and support them, he wholeheartedly committed to making significant life adjustments to ensure he could be there for Jolie and her children. I set up my life so I can be present in whatever situation. I want to be there for them or her - whatever she's going through," Haven said. "They're becoming young adults [in their] early 20s. That's so crazy. I think it's just very natural. I just want to be there," he added as he revealed his idea of being present as a father figure to Jolie's kids. 

Meanwhile, the former couple applied for divorce in 2016 and seem to be embroiled in a prolonged legal contestation. Amidst his custody dispute with Jolie, Pitt takes deliberate steps to avoid being photographed with his children to safeguard his privacy and visiting rights. To protect both their relationship and privacy, the actor also seeks to have his new girlfriend, Ines de Ramon, sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), as reported by The Things. "He definitely doesn’t want to rock the boat regarding his visitation rights, which is why he closely guards their privacy and hasn’t even taken the children out in public, even though Angelina is seen with them relatively often,” a source told In Touch Weekly.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on March 22, 2024. It has since been updated.