If you’re a pop culture fan, you’ll probably know that Angelina Jolie has an older brother named James Haven.
Angie and James are the only children of Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand, and have seemingly shared a close relationship for many years now. You might even recall that Angie famously kissed her brother after the Academy Awards ceremony in 2000, the night she won an Oscar.
And while both James and Angelina are very private, it seems their sibling bond is as strong as ever — particularly now that Angie is a mom to six growing kids, who she shares with her ex-husband, Brad Pitt.
In a new interview on the 90who10 podcast, James was quizzed about his and Angelina’s “very close” relationship, with one of the co-hosts asking about his “protective” tendencies as a brother and how he’s supported her as her personal life has “unfolded in the public eye.”
“I think it’s natural,” he said of being protective over his sister and her children. “That’s where it all started. It started with the protection of her and her children — my nieces and nephews.”
“I set my life up so I can be present with whatever the situation,” he continued. “I want to be there for them or for her — whatever she’s going through.”
As I’m sure you’ll know, Angelina filed to end her and Brad’s marriage in September 2016. It is widely believed that the reason for the sudden split was an alleged incident that took place on a private jet involving the couple and their six children.
For context, Angelina has accused Brad of “physically and verbally” assaulting her and their children on the aircraft days before they split.
Brad was cleared of any wrongdoing following the initial investigation and has never personally commented on the case. Although his lawyer said in a statement in 2022 that he “has owned everything he’s responsible for from day one.”
For her part, Angelina has stood firm in her accusations against her ex, subsequently suing the FBI for its handling of the case and sharing more details about the alleged encounter.
And as their divorce continues to unfold, the former couple’s six children — Maddox, 22; Pax, 20; Zahara, 18; Shiloh, 17; and twins Knox and Vivienne, 15 — are getting older and learning to navigate life as young adults.
Speaking about his love for his nieces and nephews in his recent interview, James said he finds it especially important to be present in the kids’ lives now that they’re in their “massively formative years.”
“They’re becoming young adults, early 20s,” he said. “I think it’s just very natural and I just want to be there any time. Anytime I’m blessed to be in their presence, I want to be in their presence.”
In the years since she and Brad split, Angelina has occasionally alluded to the trauma she’s experienced amid their divorce, confirming during an interview with the Guardian in 2021 that she feared for the safety of her children at points in her marriage.
“I’m not the kind of person who makes decisions like the decisions I had to make lightly,” she said at the time. “It took a lot for me to be in a position where I felt I had to separate from the father of my children.”
In a more recent interview with WSJ. Magazine last month, Angelina talked more about how the breakdown of the marriage took a serious toll on her and her children, telling the outlet: “We had to heal.”
“There are things we need to heal from,” she said, adding that her children are “the closest people to me and my life.” She said, “We’re seven very different people, which is our strength.”
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