The way it should’ve been all over everything and wasn’t boggled my mind. That PR team is savage. (Does it happen to be the same PR team Deep has? Or do they all use the same methods?)
Sadly, this is pretty common in abusive relationships, celebrity or not. Even when it's that bad, that obviously and directly bad, people struggle to accept it.
Yeah, that plane incident is a dealbreaker. But before that was his scammy post-Katrina New Orleans housing project. Beyond all this there's also his general vibe of cringe (the clothes, the "girlfriend", the facelift), which for me, ruined all past goodwill accrued from his presence in fun movies like Soderbergh's Oceans series.
Yes, exactly! What a loser & fraud he is. Remember all those articles about how he was seriously into & knowledgable about architecture? lol, what a joke media is
THIS. This is why I love you. You write about everything I'm interested in and you have all.the.points. I have been thinking about how we all ignore what he did to Angie for years and it's awful, and made me think so differently of him. she seems like a truly good person who stands up for what she believes in, fights for injustice, loves and takes care of her kids, etc. and it's like we've all just forgotten what he did 9 years ago?! ugh. don't get me started. But thank you for this post!!!
What’s that saying? If Brad Pitt has no haters, that means I’m dead? I remember that his kids won’t talk to him or even use his name. I also remember the Katrina homes and the vanity skincare line. I even remember how F1 kept shooting for a bit during the writer and actors’ strikes. So yeah, Brad Pitt is trash and some of us do know!
Thank you! I've suffered through over a year of fawning over Pitt during F1 coverage because not only was he spearheading the F1 movie, he included a lot of driver cameos. I kept thinking, do you not know, or do you not care? The world has memory-holed that plane assault, for sure.
This. As an F1 fan, I have been watching all of this unfold and it is really irritating. Having Lewis involved also sucks. This movie is going to be a comeback and rewriting of history role for Pitt and using F1 to do it is really gross.
I'm with you on Pitt, and Im relieved to see your slight gray-shading on Cruise. I lean that way too. I do take the tentative (presumptuous?) position that, as a lifelong celebrity with some Peter Pan issues, he was essentially (belatedly) groomed by Scientology. I know it's didcordant to see victimhood there when he's clearly pretty awful, and more powerful than anyone who might fall into his orbit of hurt, but he seems overtly/profoundly broken by something in a way that...it creates a grayness that feels tarnishing even to articulate.
honestly I'm not surprised at people refusing to engage with his (alleged) abuse. it's disappointing and enraging but I've seen this on the micro scale working with people who have experienced intimate partner violence as a therapist. I genuinely believe that IPV/DV is closely intertwined with colonialist patriarchy (it's largely focused on dominance and enforcing gender roles), so until we reckon with that, I don't think we'll see meaningful engagement with the topic. I mean hell, Johnny Depp successfully PR campaigned his way out of documented abuse so .....
Loved this whole piece (could not agree more, btw) but must say that you know you're a talented writer when the effing FOOTNOTE is an insightful aside. Just brilliant.
Also the part about people disliking Angelina J and just dismissing her entirely in favor of him because of that. Yes, she is weird (maybe?, but that doesn’t mean she deserves abuse or that things didn’t happen.
I’m genuinely looking forward to F1 because I love fast vroom vroom car movies and the cinematography for the race scenes looks genuinely gorgeous (but what can we expect from the man who gave us both Tron: Legacy and Top Gun Maverick). What I’m *not* looking forward to is the fact that the success (and it will no doubt be a success) of the film will rehabilitate Pitt’s image. Brad Pitt is an abusive monster. The most ironic bit is that had 1990’s Days of Thunder (which Jerry Bruckheimer also produced ironically) didn’t exist and had filming not overlapped with the final Mission: Impossible, Pitt’s character in F1 could’ve easily been played by Tom Cruise, so you bringing him up isn’t inappopriate, Clara
omg thank you!! it was crazy when ppl kept seeing him and shouting him out/saying how hot he is from the stage at the golden globes (i think?) post-allegations
Shania warned us. We didn’t listen. Now we’re stuck in a group delusion powered by jawlines and magazine spreads. Honestly, at this point “you think that’s a Schwinn?” is giving Meryl. But the bar for male redemption arcs is so low it’s buried under Tom Cruise’s stunts and Brad’s sauceless pasta.
Also, “kind asshole” is now my gender and political affiliation.
Thank you! I left him behind years ago with the plane incident being the last straw and I really felt like the only one.
the plane incident is so underdiscussed it really kills me!
The way it should’ve been all over everything and wasn’t boggled my mind. That PR team is savage. (Does it happen to be the same PR team Deep has? Or do they all use the same methods?)
It is hard to believe the plane incident is such a non issue for people! I was never a big fan of his but that was the last straw.
Sadly, this is pretty common in abusive relationships, celebrity or not. Even when it's that bad, that obviously and directly bad, people struggle to accept it.
I left him behind after the plan incident as well. Who needs him?
“It's Clooney and Co. who carry the Ocean's franchise, and don't you forget it.” HARD AGREE! As always, an excellent piece!
Yeah, that plane incident is a dealbreaker. But before that was his scammy post-Katrina New Orleans housing project. Beyond all this there's also his general vibe of cringe (the clothes, the "girlfriend", the facelift), which for me, ruined all past goodwill accrued from his presence in fun movies like Soderbergh's Oceans series.
We don’t talk enough about the New Orleans house scandal. I’m surprised Clara didn’t bring it up because it’s so damning
Yes, exactly! What a loser & fraud he is. Remember all those articles about how he was seriously into & knowledgable about architecture? lol, what a joke media is
Plus he fucked over hurricane victims. We moved on from that a little too fast for my liking
100%
I didn’t even know about this!!
New Orleans has NOT forgotten the housing project - he was over for me before the plane.
THIS. This is why I love you. You write about everything I'm interested in and you have all.the.points. I have been thinking about how we all ignore what he did to Angie for years and it's awful, and made me think so differently of him. she seems like a truly good person who stands up for what she believes in, fights for injustice, loves and takes care of her kids, etc. and it's like we've all just forgotten what he did 9 years ago?! ugh. don't get me started. But thank you for this post!!!
What’s that saying? If Brad Pitt has no haters, that means I’m dead? I remember that his kids won’t talk to him or even use his name. I also remember the Katrina homes and the vanity skincare line. I even remember how F1 kept shooting for a bit during the writer and actors’ strikes. So yeah, Brad Pitt is trash and some of us do know!
Thank you! I've suffered through over a year of fawning over Pitt during F1 coverage because not only was he spearheading the F1 movie, he included a lot of driver cameos. I kept thinking, do you not know, or do you not care? The world has memory-holed that plane assault, for sure.
This. As an F1 fan, I have been watching all of this unfold and it is really irritating. Having Lewis involved also sucks. This movie is going to be a comeback and rewriting of history role for Pitt and using F1 to do it is really gross.
This is a fantastic piece.
I'm with you on Pitt, and Im relieved to see your slight gray-shading on Cruise. I lean that way too. I do take the tentative (presumptuous?) position that, as a lifelong celebrity with some Peter Pan issues, he was essentially (belatedly) groomed by Scientology. I know it's didcordant to see victimhood there when he's clearly pretty awful, and more powerful than anyone who might fall into his orbit of hurt, but he seems overtly/profoundly broken by something in a way that...it creates a grayness that feels tarnishing even to articulate.
honestly I'm not surprised at people refusing to engage with his (alleged) abuse. it's disappointing and enraging but I've seen this on the micro scale working with people who have experienced intimate partner violence as a therapist. I genuinely believe that IPV/DV is closely intertwined with colonialist patriarchy (it's largely focused on dominance and enforcing gender roles), so until we reckon with that, I don't think we'll see meaningful engagement with the topic. I mean hell, Johnny Depp successfully PR campaigned his way out of documented abuse so .....
Loved this whole piece (could not agree more, btw) but must say that you know you're a talented writer when the effing FOOTNOTE is an insightful aside. Just brilliant.
Never cared about Brad Pitt, his face is too small
Thank you for this. I just unfollowed two (quite high-profile) Instagrammers because they posted positively about Pitt. Gross.
Also the part about people disliking Angelina J and just dismissing her entirely in favor of him because of that. Yes, she is weird (maybe?, but that doesn’t mean she deserves abuse or that things didn’t happen.
I’m genuinely looking forward to F1 because I love fast vroom vroom car movies and the cinematography for the race scenes looks genuinely gorgeous (but what can we expect from the man who gave us both Tron: Legacy and Top Gun Maverick). What I’m *not* looking forward to is the fact that the success (and it will no doubt be a success) of the film will rehabilitate Pitt’s image. Brad Pitt is an abusive monster. The most ironic bit is that had 1990’s Days of Thunder (which Jerry Bruckheimer also produced ironically) didn’t exist and had filming not overlapped with the final Mission: Impossible, Pitt’s character in F1 could’ve easily been played by Tom Cruise, so you bringing him up isn’t inappopriate, Clara
omg thank you!! it was crazy when ppl kept seeing him and shouting him out/saying how hot he is from the stage at the golden globes (i think?) post-allegations
It is wild how well his team has buried this. I think a lot of ppl straight up don't know. But sadly, even if they did know, they wouldn't care.
Shania warned us. We didn’t listen. Now we’re stuck in a group delusion powered by jawlines and magazine spreads. Honestly, at this point “you think that’s a Schwinn?” is giving Meryl. But the bar for male redemption arcs is so low it’s buried under Tom Cruise’s stunts and Brad’s sauceless pasta.
Also, “kind asshole” is now my gender and political affiliation.