Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. HOMEPAGE

Angelina Jolie told FBI officials that Brad Pitt 'grabbed her by the head' in a 2016 altercation aboard a private jet before their split, according to reports

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt attend the premiere of "By the Sea" at the 2015 AFI Fest at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres on November 5, 2015 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

  • Angelina Jolie alleged Brad Pitt assaulted her on a flight in 2016, according to a leaked FBI report obtained by Rolling Stone and Puck. 
  • Jolie alleged that Pitt "grabbed her by her head" and "pushed her into the bathroom wall." 
  • No charges were filed in the incident, the FBI report stated, according to Rolling Stone.
Advertisement

Angelina Jolie reportedly told FBI officials that her ex-husband Brad Pitt assaulted her mid-flight in 2016, according to a leaked FBI report obtained by Rolling Stone and Puck.

Citing the leaked report, Rolling Stone reported that Jolie alleged in an interview with the FBI that Pitt "grabbed her by her head," shook her, "pushed her into the bathroom wall," and repeatedly punched the ceiling of the plane during an "outburst" about 90 minutes into a September 14, 2016, flight from Paris to Los Angeles on a private plane.

No charges were filed following an investigation into the incident, Rolling Stone reported.

Spokespeople for Jolie, Pitt, and the FBI did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Advertisement

Rolling Stone reported that Jolie alleged her children were scared at the time of the incident. She told the FBI that one child called Pitt a "prick," prompting him to lunge at the kid, only to be stopped when Jolie grabbed him from behind "like in a choke hold."

The report added that Jolie alleged Pitt was intoxicated during the flight, saying that at one point that he poured beer on her. Jolie told the FBI that by the time the plane landed, there was $25,000 worth of damage from Pitt spilling red wine, Rolling Stone reported. 

Rolling Stone also reported that Jolie told the FBI that she then suggested taking their children to a hotel to get some sleep; Pitt allegedly screamed, "You're not taking my fucking kids!", according to the report.

Rolling Stone reported that Jolie told the FBI that Pitt's behavior "didn't feel real" and left her feeling "scared" and "like a hostage."

Advertisement

Jolie also alleged she had a "rug-burn type wound on her right hand" from the fight, Rolling Stone reported. 

Rolling Stone reported that FBI agents asked about a scratch on Pitt, and Jolie admitted it could have been from her.

Ultimately, neither Pitt nor Jolie decided to press charges.

"After reviewing the document, representative(s) of the United States Attorney's Office discussed the merits of this investigation with the case agent," the FBI case agent wrote in the report seen by Rolling Stone. "It was agreed by all parties that criminal charges in this case would not be pursued due to several factors."

Advertisement

The 2016 plane incident precipitated Pitt and Jolie's split

brad pitt angelina jolie 2
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images; Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

Pitt and Jolie were first romantically linked in 2005 and married in 2014. Jolie filed for divorce in 2016 following the September 14 private jet incident, citing irreconcilable differences and petitioning for primary custody of the pair's six children.

The former couple agreed to keep details of their divorce private in January 2017. However, it entered the public eye again following a June 2018 court ruling reported by CNN which said that Jolie had to give Pitt greater access to their children. She then alleged in an August 2018 court filing that Pitt hadn't paid "meaningful" child support since she filed for divorce. Pitt's attorneys said in a separate filing that she was attempting to "manipulate media coverage" of their divorce and custody battle. 

In 2019, Jolie and Pitt became legally single, separating the issue of their marital status from other issues implicated in the divorce. In May 2021, Pitt was awarded greater custody of their children, Insider previously reported. Most recently, Pitt sued Jolie for selling her stake in the $28 million French winery that they co-owned, according to court documents seen by Sky News.

Currently, the divorce is still ongoing.

Breaking
Advertisement
Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

Jump to

  1. Main content
  2. Search
  3. Account