Angelina Jolie has had many wild and memorable moments throughout her 20-plus years in the spotlight, from wearing a necklace filled with Billy Bob Thornton’s blood to kissing her brother at the 2000 Academy Awards. The latter incident had the media buzzing for months, making crazy speculations about the nature of the siblings’ relationship. So where is Angelina Jolie’s brother today? Here’s a look into the life of James Haven, as well as a recap of the kiss that shocked the world.
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James Haven And Angelina Jolie’s Infamous Kiss
Back in 2000, Angelina Jolie was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in the movie Girl, Interrupted. Just 24 years old at the time, she was quickly emerging as a major star, having already won a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination for playing troubled model Gia Carangi in the HBO movie, Gia.
Jolie brought her brother, James Haven, with her to the awards show that night, and both were thrilled when she nabbed the trophy for Best Supporting Actress. She expressed her love for sibling during her acceptance speech, saying: “I’m in shock, and I’m so in love with my brother right now…He just held me and said he loved me, and I know he’s so happy for me. And, um, thank you for that.”
Later on in the evening, at the Vanity Fair awards show afterparty, Jolie gave her brother a quick (but not quick enough!) kiss on the lips, which all of the cameras caught. Unfortunately, the picture that resulted made the smooch look somewhat sexual and became major gossip fodder for the hungry media.
This wasn’t the first time Jolie and Haven were photographed kissing at an event. The siblings shared a smooch at the Golden Globes earlier that year.
Of course, the kiss was completely innocent. “I did not give Angie a French kiss,” Haven told the Daily Mail in 2007. “It was something simple and lovely. She was about to go off to Mexico to finish filming Original Sin with Antonio Banderas. I congratulated her on the Oscar win and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. It was snapped and became a big thing.”
James Haven Started Dating Actress Ashley Reign In 2011
After that scandalous “kiss,” the world started paying attention to James Haven. In 2011, he began dating actress Ashely Reign, an actress, and producer best known for her role in the short-lived TV show About Abby.
Reportedly, she was Haven’s first serious girlfriend. In 2011, a friend of the couple told the Daily Mail, “They are head over heels in love. Ashley is one of the first girls James has felt serious enough about to introduce to his family and spend some quality time with.”
The friend also said that family members were happy to see Haven in a serious relationship, including dad Jon Voight, who had “’taken a real liking to [Ashley],” and Jolie’s then-boyfriend and baby daddy, Brad Pitt. “The relationship has come as a big relief to Brad too, who sometimes felt like James was hanging around them too much,” the friend claimed. “Brad always thought James would benefit from having a serious girlfriend.”
James Haven Became Angelina Jolie’s Full-Time Nanny
In 2016, while Jolie was going through a tough divorce and custody battle with ex Brad Pitt, she reportedly hired her brother to serve as head nanny to her kids. While it appears as though Uncle James dutifully looked after his nieces and nephews, reports claimed he was “quietly dismissed” just a few months later. According to the sources, while Haven loved spending time with the kids, he found looking after six kids to be overwhelming and emotionally draining.
James Haven Became A Film Director
While Haven started out as an actor like his sister—appearing in movies like Original Sin and Monster’s Ball, he eventually pivoted to producing and directing. In 2016, it was announced that he had signed on to direct a dystopian sci-fi-fantasy movie called The Last Boy, however, it appears he dropped out as he received no credit for the film.
But Haven did write and direct Court of Conscience in 2015, a short documentary about child abuse in the Catholic church. The 20-minute piece featured his dad, Jon Voight. When speaking about how he ended up casting his father, he said: “I didn’t write it for him, but when I was thinking of casting for it, I really couldn’t think of anybody else that could do the layers the piece required.”
James Haven Was Recently Spotted In Public Near Los Angeles
So what’s James Haven up to now? While the 47-year-old has been staying out of the spotlight, he was recently spotted out in public with girlfriend Ashley Reign. According to the Daily Mail, Haven has spent very little time with his sister in recent years, leaving some to speculate that the once-close pair have had a falling out. The source said: “All of a sudden and with no real explanation their communication seemed to just stop out of nowhere. He does his thing, she does hers and while they may be cordial from a distance you certainly don’t see or hear of them being together. Obviously only they know what really happened, but it’s sad and the situation doesn’t look like changing any time soon.”