The $400 million at stake in the Brangelina divorce

With Angelina Jolie filing for divorce from Brad Pitt, it marks the end not only one of Hollywood’s most glamorous couples, but one of its wealthiest.

The couple is reportedly worth an estimated $400 million, with GoBankingRates pegging Jolie’s net worth at $160 million and Pitt’s wealth at $240 million. The pair is said to have a prenuptial agreement that says if they divorced, each would leave with the assets they brought into their marriage. 

The pair’s prenup is said to call for them to funnel any money they earned during the marriage into a trust for their six children. That may take the place of child support, and could also help ease the way through the divorce. Because both Jolie and Pitt came to the marriage already quite wealthy, they may have had less of a reason to stick it out than couples who, because they have fewer assets, are financial as well as romantic partners.

Pitt and Jolie “are so wealthy they don’t need each other,” said Laurie Israel, an attorney and an expert on prenups at the law firm Israel, Van Kooy & Days, LLC. “For first marriages and people who aren’t wealthy, prenups can really damage a marriage. When you have a lot of money, it makes sense,” in the case of the actors.

She added, “People who are economic partners, who need each other, have a reason to keep the marriage going.”

Aside from their earnings, the couple also own several properties, including a Hollywood home and a 1,200-acre estate in France called Chateau Miraval, where they tied the knot in 2014. The chateau boasts 35 rooms, a vineyard, and a recording studio. The couple reportedly bought it in 2012 for $60 million, making it property that they purchased before their marriage. 

Jolie won’t be asking for spousal support, according to TMZ. The site reported that the split was sparked by conflicts over parenting styles. The couple has six children, with Jolie reportedly asking for full physical custody and joint legal custody.

Even though the prenup should make the split easier, at least when it comes to the couple’s sizable assets, issues will undoubtedly arise, said Seth Kaplowitz, a finance lecturer and attorney at San Diego State University.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going to be a bloodfest,” Kaplowitz said. “If they keep true to the way they ran their lives they will try to keep it as quiet as possible.”