An op-ed questioning why and how Brad Pitt has managed to escape cancel culture, despite accusations of abuse from his ex-wife Angelina Jolie, has divided social media, with many users continuing to defend the actor.

The piece, published in Slate and written by Scaachi Koul, examines why Brad continues to be synonymous with the term “Hollywood heartthrob” and why he works as an actor and producer eight years after allegedly injuring Angelina and two of their children during a private flight.

“The crux of the matter is mortifyingly simple: It’s painful for an audience to let go of a beloved cultural icon. Could someone this hot, this talented, and this charming be responsible for real harm?” Koul writes.

“To challenge Pitt’s narrative is to confront our own complicity as an audience, one that’s always been eager to hear—and believe—his version of the story.”

A group of people is expressing support for Brad Pitt following an op-ed that discusses how the actor has kept his reputation “intact” amid his legal battle against Angelina Jolie

Image credits: Dave Benett/Getty

A court filing by Angelina, submitted as a cross-complaint against Brad in 2022, claims that during a private flight from France to California in September 2016—days before she filed for divorce—the actor yelled at her, grabbed her by her head, shook her, and pushed her into a wall.

The Maria actress said the incident occurred after Brad accused her of being “too deferential” to their children. He allegedly poured alcohol on the actress and the children and “choked” and “struck” two of them when they tried to defend their mother.

A source close to Brad claimed at the time that “the confrontation was spiraling out of control” but that “no one was physically harmed.”

Angelina accused Brad of shaking her and pushing her against a wall during a private flight they took with their children in 2016

Image credits: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Image credits:  Monica Schipper/Getty

After conducting a review of the circumstances at the time, the FBI and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services closed the investigation of the incident without filing charges.

Six years later, in February 2022, the Fight Club actor sued Angelina for selling her shares of a French winery they once owned together, claiming she did so without his approval and defied an alleged agreement they had over the company.

Angelina’s lawyers brought up the 2016 plane allegations in a response filed in October 2022, claiming that it was Brad who refused to buy her interests unless she signed an NDA designed to “force her silence about his abuse and cover-up.”

They also claimed that the actor’s history of physical abuse against Angelina started before the 2016 flight.

“To challenge Pitt’s narrative is to confront our own complicity as an audience, one that’s always been eager to hear—and believe—his version of the story,” wrote Scaachi Koul

Senior writer Scaachi Koul tracks Brad Pitt’s four-decade Hollywood career, his famous relationships, and the harrowing allegations of recent years to reveal the fuller story of the star—and why so many of us refuse to see it. https://t.co/O5ahnfrJyW pic.twitter.com/5l5hJmV9Ds

— Slate (@Slate) September 10, 2024

The actress decided not to press charges in 2016 because “she believed the best course was for Pitt to accept responsibility and help the family recover from the post-traumatic stress he caused,” according to court documents.

Angelina’s filing further states that before the FBI announced that Brad would not be charged with assault on an airplane, the FBI agent who investigated the incident had “concluded that the government had probable cause to charge Pitt with a federal crime for his conduct that day.”

The actress “looks forward to the eventual end of this litigation with its false narratives that continue to hurt the family and interfere with their ability to heal,” her lawyers stated in May.

A source close to Brad said at the time of the plane incident that “the confrontation was spiraling out of control” but that “no one was physically harmed”

Image credits: www.warnerbros.com

Image credits: 20th Century Fox

According to Koul, when Angelina filed for divorce in 2016, the media and the general public perceived the actor as the victim and viewed him as the wronged party in the split.

“The questions weren’t around what happened on the plane or how Pitt might respond; it was all about whether Jolie was lying in order to tear down a powerful man she was once married to.”

Unlike many celebrities who have been canceled after facing accusations of abuse, the 60-year-old’s reputation has remained “largely intact,” allowing him to continue enjoying a successful career in media, Koul notes.

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For the movie Wolfs, an Apple production released on September 20, he and costar George Clooney were reportedly paid more than $35 million each. Brad also produced Women Talking, a 2022 film about a series of rapes inside an isolated Mennonite colony.

Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

The op-ed piece received mixed reactions. While many agreed on the need to reevaluate the actor’s career and reputation, others quickly defended him, insisting on his innocence.

“Wild that his reputation is so untouched by his own actions. True of so many like him, too,” a netizen wrote.

“I’m surprised George Clooney and Amal [Clooney] are friends with this dude,” somebody else commented.

Meanwhile, a third user said, “I wonder why people need to write articles about people’s personal lives when they don’t know them,” to which someone responded, “He’s a public figure who parades his personal life in front of his fans. Why shouldn’t people talk about what kind of person he is?”

An additional user referred to the Troy actor as “a good guy. Full stop,” while another asked Koul to “stop villainizing” him.

While a group argued that the actor was being “villainized,” others agreed on the need to question Brad’s “heartthrob” reputation

Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

Bored Panda consulted Dr. CarolAnn Peterson, author of Interpersonal Aggression: Complexities of Domestic and Intimate Partner Abuse, about the public reaction to Angelina’s allegations against Brad and the impact these public lawsuits have on victims of gender-based violence. 

Dr. Peterson provides instruction regarding domestic violence to graduate students of social work and psychology at the University of Southern California.

“The general public has difficulty understanding why anyone would stay. However, when it comes to celebrities, it becomes a popularity contest, as was demonstrated by the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp trial,” she explained.

“When victims are told over and over again by the abuser they are to blame for the abuse, people believe them. Unless someone has been in an abusive relationship, most people can’t imagine being in this kind of situation.”

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Image credits: Universal Pictures

Additionally, abusers don’t walk around with a sign indicating what they’ve done. Many do a great job of hiding it, said Dr. Peterson.

“The general public doesn’t want to believe that an icon they admire would commit abuse. However, this is exactly what abusers do in public—be the pillar of the community, attend their children’s events, be the wonderful neighbor who is willing to help others, etc.

“Therefore, it’s hard to believe that the abuser would be this terrible person to beat their spouse and/or children.

“In the DV community, we try to believe the victim unless proven otherwise.”

“The general public doesn’t want to believe that an icon they admire would commit abuse,” said domestic violence expert Dr. CarolAnn Peterson

Image credits: New Line Cinema

The Brad-Angelina case is ongoing, and no charges have been filed. Still, Dr. Peterson hopes it serves as a reminder for victims to seek help. “Any time attention can bring awareness to the issue of gender-based violence, it means someone who is being abused may see the information and know they are not alone. The victim may also then get the strength to leave.”

“Have a safety plan so you (the victim) and children (if there are any) can leave safely and have a safe place to go.”

Since the divorce, it has been reported that three of Brad and Angelina’s children have stopped communicating with their father and have publicly dropped his last name in favor of their mother’s.

Shiloh Jolie made the change after turning eighteen. Zahara, 19, introduced herself to her sorority as Zahara Marley Jolie, while Vivienne, 15, listed herself as Vivienne Jolie in the playbill for the musical The Outsiders.

If you or someone you know is struggling with domestic abuse, help is available. The Safe and Together Institute provides international domestic violence resources.

People reacted to the op-ed piece, expressing differing views on Brad Pitt

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