- Before settling their divorce, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were legally single since 2019.
- Being legally single allows divorcing couples to change their names and remarry.
- It can give couples more freedom as they decide on custody, but can also draw out divorce even more.
After eight years, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt reached a divorce settlement on Monday.
While their separation process was lengthy and complicated, their lives were made a little simpler years before: they were declared “legally single” in 2019. Through a bifurcated judgment — i.e. a case separated into multiple phases — Jolie could legally restore her last name to “Jolie” instead of “Jolie Pitt” before becoming officially divorced.
Jolie and Pitt aren’t the only celebrities who’ve opted for legal singlehood before divorce. In 2022, Kim Kardashian became legally single before divorcing Kanye West later that year.
Nancy Chemtob, a New York City family law attorney, previously told Business Insider that bifurcated judgments allow couples to move forward with their single lives while sorting through the more complex details of their divorces, which can take years.
She said celebrities like Kardashian popularizing the term could lead to more people requesting to be legally single.
It grants couples more independence
Divorce can be a nightmare. In cases like theirs, which involved splitting child custody and shared homes, the process can take years.
Being legally single doesn’t give couples the ability to fully go their separate ways: in Jolie’s case, she had to stay in LA because of her divorce proceedings. But it allows couples to change their names and legally remarry even if their divorce isn’t settled yet.
It can draw out divorce even more
Most divorces don’t involve bifurcation — it’s granted on a case-by-case basis, and not all state laws permit it. Legal singlehood is often granted in California compared to other states, which require more specific reasons like complicated financial issues or infidelity.
The pros are clear: it gives spouses more autonomy in a process that isn’t fully in their control. Kardashian asked to become legally single after West ignored her divorce requests.
While it can help couples emotionally move on faster, it has some drawbacks. It can provide incentives to delay custody or asset decisions, ultimately making the divorce more expensive. Jolie and Pitt didn’t finalize their divorce until five years after becoming legally single.
