When I checked the @Meghan Instagram account Thursday morning, the Duchess of Sussex had over 700K followers after she made her first post on New Year’s Day. About seven hours later, Meghan had more than a million followers. It’s the SussexRoyal IG all over again – once people know for sure that Meghan is on the ‘gram, they flock to her account. In case you’re wondering, Prince William and Kate’s Instagram account has 16.8 million followers. How many of those followers are bots paid for with Duchy of Cornwall money though?

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail is obviously still obsessed with every single thing about Meghan’s IG account, including how she got a coveted mononymous account. All of the biggest accounts – Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift, Kylie Jenner, Selena Gomez – have IG handles with their first and last names. So how did Meghan manage to pull off @Meghan?

Meghan Markle has made a sensational return to Instagram after teasing a new project with an elusive video of herself a the beach. The wife of Prince Harry, 42, is making her comeback on the photo-sharing app, having stepped away in 2020, and is appearing to forego her Duchess of Sussex title by simply using the handle @meghan. She first made her cautious reappearance last summer, after teasing her return for months. News that the @meghan handle was hers created a frenzy of followers despite the account lying empty without a single post until Wedensday, and following no other accounts.

But how did the Duchess get her hands on the single-moniker handle? Speaking to FEMAIL, branding expert Emily M Austen revealed it’s likely the account – which has now been verified with a blue tick – was owned by someone else before, as it’s ‘not a unique name’.

‘Most likely, Meghan (or her team), will have used a website to negotiate through a third party, the handle, and will likely have had to pay for ownership,’ she explained. ‘It is possible to change your Instagram handle whenever you want, within certain limits, but this looks like a totally new account, so it’s most likely a purchase. Meghan likely used a third party which would mean her identity would remain hidden. Most sellers start with a guide price, which can go from $200 to $20,000 depending on the desirability of the handle.’

Another expert, talent rep Raymani Zaloumis, also said that while it’s ‘very difficult to predict the exact amount Meghan Markle would have paid for the handle’, it’s likely the sum would have been ‘significant’.

‘Short, common, or celebrity-related usernames are highly sought after, often commanding premium prices,’ he told FEMAIL. ‘Depending on their desirability and the willingness of the owner to sell, such handles can range in value from tens of thousands to even hundreds of thousands of dollars.’

[From The Daily Mail]

Reportedly, Prince Harry and Meghan did something similar to get their hands on “sussex.com.” They patiently negotiated with the URL owner and paid the person to “own” it. It’s more than likely that Meghan did this way back in 2022 too – that’s when the IG account first appeared, and it was a big mystery as to whether it was really Meghan. She was thinking long-term and she was in no rush to post just to post. Still, I’ve always wondered if she or Harry (or both) had finstas this whole time.

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Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Meghan’s IG.

Simone Biles has been named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year for 2024. An Olympic year, and Simone was one of the biggest stories of the Olympics. Is there also an American-centric bias? For sure. But I agree with this choice and I absolutely believe that Simone was one of the biggest sports stories of the year, her comeback Olympic games in Paris after she got the twisties in Tokyo and couldn’t compete at her normally-elite level. All eyes were on Simone in Paris. All of the gymnasts from other countries were holding their breath and waiting to see what Simone would do too.

You can read the Sports Illustrated SOTY profile and interview here. If you’ve watched Simone’s Netflix docuseries, you know what she’s been through in the past ten years and how everything fell apart before, during and after the Tokyo games. Simone is a champion for so many reasons – not just because she wins gold medals and executes flawless routines. She stands up for survivors, she celebrates her gymnastics colleagues and friends, she talks openly about her mental health and therapy, and all of that makes her one of the most important athletes in the world.

On a superficial note, I think it’s interesting that Sports Illustrated’s photographers did a more beautiful editorial with Simone than any of the women’s magazines or fashion magazines did with her. Is it because SI’s photographers know how to photograph Black women and fashion photographers don’t know how to do that?

I was honestly surprised that Simone wasn’t named Time Magazine’s Athlete of the Year too – Time gave that honor to Caitlin Clark. Interesting.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, cover courtesy of Sports Illustrated.

When Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt in 2016, there was an odd surge of schadenfreude from Jennifer Aniston’s fans and supporters. For years, they wanted Pitt and Aniston to get back together or still deal with each other in same way. All of which to say, Brad Pitt and Angelina’s divorce has just been finalized, eight years later, on what is the 20th anniversary of Brad and Jennifer’s separation and eventual divorce. Brad and Jennifer announced their separation in January 2005 – just a few months later, he was photographed with Angelina in Africa. Twenty years later, I genuinely hope and believe that Aniston doesn’t give a sh-t and Brad isn’t on her radar in any way. But “sources” insist that Aniston was paying attention to Brad and Angelina’s divorce drama.

Jennifer Aniston has no plans to ‘offer any congratulations’ to her ex Brad Pitt following the finalization of his divorce from Angelina Jolie, according to sources who revealed that the Friends star ‘would love Brad to be happy’ as he moves forward. After a bitter eight-year battle, Pitt and Jolie officially reached a settlement in their divorce – with the Tomb Raider actress finally signing her papers on Christmas Day.

Pitt famously ended his marriage to Aniston in 2005 after meeting Jolie on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The Troy actor and Jolie were then together for 11 years before their marriage came to its own explosive end in 2016. Despite the very public love triangle and the many headlines it spawned over the years, Aniston and Pitt have managed to remain friendly since his split from Jolie – notably sharing a warm hug together at the 2020 SAG Awards.

However, a source exclusively revealed to DailyMail.com that Aniston has no interest in speaking about her ex-husband’s new divorce update – both in public or in private.

‘Jen isn’t looking to talk about Brad and Angelina’s divorce publicly, nor is she looking to reach out to Brad and offer any congratulations,’ the insider began.

Opening up about how Aniston plans to approach her ex when they next bump into each other at industry events, the insider explained: ‘The next time they see each other, they’ll be cordial with each other, they have been in the recent past and that won’t change. They will talk about life and mostly anything else, but they aren’t going to dive into his feelings about the divorce or anything like that. Angelina is not a talking point between them and that will remain the same forever,’ the insider revealed.

However, noting that the pair have built up an amicable relationship in recent years, the source said: ‘Jen is good with Brad and is friendly with him. Over the years they both have settled their issues with each other and will never stop being respectful with each other. Jen would love Brad to be happy first and foremost, and believes he is happy.’

[From The Daily Mail]

I think the biggest shift here is that Aniston stopped reminding everyone that she’s Brad’s ex-wife and that she was part of the uncool Bermuda Triangle too. At some point, she moved on and so did the tabloids. Plus, Brad has a girlfriend now (Ines de Ramon), so it would be difficult for anyone to push a Pitt-Aniston agenda currently. All that being said, I’ve always wondered if Aniston had a sudden realization several years ago that Brad is a gigantic loser and she wasted years of her life thinking he was so cool and such a catch.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

On New Year’s Eve, Justin Baldoni and nine other plaintiffs sued the New York Times for $250 million, all because of the Times’ bombshell exclusive about Blake Lively’s California Civil Rights complaint. The Times story was heavy on Blake’s narrative of “social manipulation,” using texts and messages between Justin Baldoni’s publicist and crisis manager, painting a picture of Baldoni as a sexual predator who publicly smeared his victim. In Baldoni’s suit against the Times, he provided some receipts of texts and emails, enough to show that there is more nuance to some of Blake’s claims. In one interesting section of Baldoni’s lawsuit, there’s talk of a January 2024 meeting at Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ Tribeca apartment. From Variety:

But according to [Baldoni’s] lawsuit, it was Lively who embarked on a “strategic and manipulative” smear campaign of her own and used false “sexual harassment allegations to assert unilateral control over every aspect of the production.” And according to the suit, Lively’s husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, allegedly berated Baldoni in an aggressive manner during a heated meeting at their Tribeca penthouse in New York, “accusing him of ‘fat shaming’” his wife. The suit claims that the A-list actor also pressured Baldoni’s agency, WME, to drop the director during the “Deadpool and Wolverine” premiere in July, well before Baldoni enlisted crisis PR.

The lawsuit also pushes back on a major component of Lively’s CRD complaint and the Times’ reliance on it for its story. It’s a list of 30 items that were allegedly agreed upon during a January meeting that included Baldoni, Heath, Lively and Reynolds and a Sony executive. But today’s lawsuit claims that “no such document was ever presented to Baldoni, the Wayfarer team, or, to their knowledge, anyone else — whether during that meeting or at any other time — and therefore, could not have been agreed to.” The suit adds: “In reality, many of these items were encountered for the first time in the CRD Complaint itself and include references to highly disturbing events that never occurred. The repeated use of the phrase ‘no more’ before each demand falsely suggests that these alleged incidents had previously taken place and needed to cease. This implication is not only misleading but entirely untrue.”

As for the meeting at Lively and Reynolds’ penthouse apartment in Tribeca, everyone was “in shock” by Reynolds’ outburst, the lawsuit claims. According to the lawsuit, one of the film’s producers who was present said that “in his 40-year career he had never seen anyone speak to someone like that in a meeting, [while] the Sony representative mentioned that she would often think of that meeting and her one regret is that she didn’t stop Reynolds’ berating of Baldoni.”

Back in August, when coverage of a mysterious feud between Lively and Baldoni began to spiral on social media and in the press, Variety inquired of Sony whether any HR complaints had been filed against Baldoni during production and was told “no.”

[From Variety]

So in just one week, we’ve gone from Blake’s narrative that “there was a January production meeting in which Ryan acted as her representative and the studio acquiesced to all of her demands in writing to protect her from a predatory director” to “actually, this was a meeting at Ryan and Blake’s home and Ryan berated Baldoni in front of multiple witnesses, including reps from Sony, and nothing was put in writing and given to Baldoni.” So now Team Lively-Reynolds is backtracking a bit – yes, the meeting was at their Tribeca home, but no, Ryan didn’t “berate” Justin.

Justin Baldoni’s accusation Ryan Reynolds berated and screamed at him in a house full of stars in an ambush meeting is way overblown … this according to a source who was in the meeting. Baldoni made several accusations against Blake Lively and husband RR in a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times … claiming the “Deadpool” star was aggressive toward JB at a meeting that took place in the couple’s NYC home, as celeb pals came and went.

Our source tells TMZ … the meeting did go down last January, as “It Ends With Us” was to resume production after it was stalled by industry strikes … and everyone in attendance knew Baldoni’s alleged behavior would be addressed … so, there was zero blindsiding.

The source says RR was not screaming and berating JB, although the source concedes he was “angry and stern,” adding Reynold’s spoke in an “impassioned” way but it did not rise to the level of screaming or berating.

Baldoni said in his lawsuit the encounter he had with Reynolds was “traumatic” and he had “never been spoken to like that in his life.”

The source also took issue with the way the meeting was characterized in the lawsuit … in particular the mention of the penthouse where other stars were randomly milling around. The meeting was at the home of Reynolds and Lively, but our source says other celebs were not coming and going.

Baldoni isn’t alone in suing the Times … he is one of 10 plaintiffs, including publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, who were mentioned at length in Lively’s initial complaint and in the paper’s story. Lively has filed a lawsuit making a formal demand for money, suing Baldoni and others — including the publicists — for mental pain and anguish, severe emotional distress, and lost wages.

[From TMZ]

I said this week that the story of what Ryan said to Justin and how Ryan said it seemed like a crucial element to the larger story of what the hell happened between all involved. Blake’s side will say that Ryan is a loving, protective husband who was standing up for his wife. Justin’s side will say that the husband of an actress-producer completely overstepped and raged out during what was supposed to be a professional production meeting. Also, Variety’s coverage of Baldoni’s suit didn’t say that celebrities were milling around. Everyone agrees on the fact that this was supposed to be a production meeting, and yet no one can agree on what was actually said.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Well, well. I was legitimately starting to panic a little bit about the Duchess of Sussex’s cooking/entertaining series, which was filmed in the spring last year in Montecito. We didn’t hear anything about the show from Archewell or Netflix at the end of the year, and I worried that the release date was being quietly pushed back even further. But it turns out, all of the editing was done and the whole thing is a glossy product, ready to go. The eight-episode series is called With Love, Meghan, and Netflix dropped a trailer on Thursday:

Such strong Barefoot Contessa vibes, only instead of Ina Garten cooking for her gay friends in the Hamptons, we’ve got Meghan cooking for her girlfriends in Montecito. If I’m being honest, the food is the most interesting part to me. While I enjoy watching rich women play with flowers and wander around a private garden in flowy pants, the real “money shot” is always going to be Meghan cooking or baking. I really hope that a cookbook is coming too!! But for now, we’re getting this series. The whole eight-episode series will be released on January 15th (two days before Severance Season 2 begins!!). According to Netflix, Meghan has new and old friends in each episode, and some of those friends include: Mindy Kaling, Roy Choi, Alice Waters, Daniel Martin, Delfina Blaquier, Tracy Robbins, Abigail Spencer and Kelly McKee Zajfen.

Meghan posted the trailer on her Instagram too! She wrote this message: “I have been so excited to share this with you! I hope you love the show as much as I loved making it. Wishing you all a fantastic new year! Thanks to our amazing crew and the team @netflix. Beyond grateful for the support – and fun! As ever, Meghan.”

Photos & poster courtesy of Netflix.

Every New Year’s Eve, the “New Year Honors” list is revealed by Buckingham Palace. While the monarch passes out honors throughout the year to mark achievements or certain events, the New Year Honors are considered very special in the UK. This year, David Beckham was once again snubbed. It’s especially hilarious because Beckham has been doing the MOST to suck up to the Windsors for several years now. So who was honored? Carey Mulligan, Stephen Fry and the king’s apothecary. A real job!

Carey Mulligan, Stephen Fry, Sarah Lancashire and others have made the cut for King Charles’ 2025 New Year Honors list. Honors are typically given out at the new year and at the monarch’s official birthday, celebrated each June, and celebrate contributions of well-known personalities, government officials and even everyday people who have served their respective communities in an extraordinary way.

Among those recognized on this year’s New Year Honors list are two doctors believed to have been a part of the King’s medical team as he navigated cancer this year — the type and stage of which remains unknown to the public. The King, 76, has given honors to Dr. Douglas Glass and Professor Richard Leach this year. Per Hello!, Dr. Glass is the King’s apothecary and also served as Queen Elizabeth’s apothecary as well — and “was the medical professional in attendance at Balmoral when she died,” the outlet reported.

Professor Leach is a consultant physician at the private King Edward VIII’s Hospital in London, “where members of the royal family have been treated for decades,” according to the outlet. “It’s not uncommon for doctors of the royal family to receive personal recognition,” the outlet continued, citing the late Queen’s decision to knight her Head of the Medical Household, Sir Huw Thomas, in 2021.

Mulligan and Lancashire have both been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), and Lancashire called the recognition an “unexpected delight,” according to Hello!. For his part, Fry said he felt “startled and enchanted” after receiving a knighthood for his services to mental health awareness and the environment.

Other notable names given honors this iteration include Gareth Southgate, former manager of England’s national football team, and London mayor Sadiq Khan, who were both knighted in the New Year Honors. Sadiq — who has served as London’s mayor since 2016 — said he was “truly humbled” to receive the honor.

[From People]

I’ve never thought of Carey Mulligan as any kind of royalist, and she’s avoided almost all royal events and royal-adjacent events. It’s possible that her CBE is more about her actual career and her talent. She’s one of Britain’s best actresses, so I wouldn’t be surprised. I also find it odd that Charles has now repeatedly gone out of his way to recognize and publicly thank his doctors, all while there’s still so much mystery around the Princess of Wales’s health issues and treatment. Kate has never thanked any member of her medical team by name.

Also, the Mail had this very interesting story about how many people have rejected honors. Apparently, since Charles became king, “more than 120 people have turned down a knighthood, damehood, MBE, OBE or other awards in recognition of their achievements in public life.” Not only that, but “2024 marked the second-highest number of rejections in 15 years.” LMAO. Some of this is not even Charles’s fault – as Boris Johnson was exiting 10 Downing Street, he gave honors to every unhinged Tory of his acquaintance. Johnson cheapened the honors system just as much as Charles did. Plus, people just don’t give a sh-t about honors anymore. Except for David Beckham.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Keir Starmer’s government has been telegraphing their interest in cozying up to Donald Trump ever since Trump “won” the election. The problem is that Starmer is a Labour prime minister and he’s surrounded himself with people who have openly and loudly criticized Trump over the years. No worries, because Trump probably doesn’t understand that Keir Starmer is prime minister, and Trump absolutely believes that King Charles runs everything in the UK. So, obviously, Starmer and his people are using the Windsors as bait to lure Trump to their side. So much so that Starmer is offering up another state visit to Trump:

Donald Trump is set to become the first elected politician in modern history to be hosted for two state visits by the Royal family, The Telegraph can reveal. Number 10 and the Foreign Office are preparing to offer the incoming US president an invitation once he is back in the White House, with the backing of Buckingham Palace. It is proof of an emerging strategy from Sir Keir Starmer to use Mr Trump’s fascination with the monarchy to strike up a strong personal relationship that benefits the UK.

A senior Whitehall source said: “[Mr Trump] loves the Royal Family. Look at the fact he’s had his own photo album made of the last visit. Why wouldn’t we want a repeat?”

Official Royal family records dating back to 1954 show that no elected leader has ever been given two state visits to the UK. Only two monarchs have enjoyed the honour during this period. One was Queen Margrethe of Denmark, who was given a state visit to the UK both in 1974 and 2000. The other was King Olav of Norway, who came to Britain in 1963 and again in 1988.

His second state visit is unlikely to happen until 2026 at the earliest, given the King’s schedule. King Charles is expected to go to Italy and the Vatican next year along with a second overseas trip, which is yet to be announced. Incoming state visits for 2025 are also in the works.

A royal source said there was no official precedent to stop a second state visit being offered to an elected politician and the palace had a positive experience from Mr Trump’s first visit. The source stressed such invitations were issued on the advice of the Foreign Office.

A government source noted that the “unusual circumstances” of the gap between Mr Trump’s first and second term have kept him at the top of politics longer than many other elected leaders. The source added: “The fact there has been a change of both sovereign and government in that break [from power] means a second state visit is entirely appropriate.”

Not all meetings between a foreign leader and the UK monarch are classed as “state visits”. It is a special honour that involves more formality and takes months to plan. Officially state visits are issued by the monarch on the advice of the Foreign Office. It is often the prime minister of the day who makes the ultimate decision.

[From The Telegraph]

Yeah, not all visits by a head of state qualify as a real “state visit,” I guess. Because I remember the Obamas visited QEII several times during their eight years in office, but some of those visits were not “state visits.” I enjoy the breathless announcement of “this is something the Starmer government is absolutely going to do, it’s going to solve everything, but it won’t happen for a year and a half.” Let’s face it, a lot of things can change in a year. I also have my doubts that Trump, Starmer and King Charles will all be around for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. Do you know that the 250th anniversary is called “the Bisesquicentennial” AND “the Sestercentennial?” It would certainly be more significant for Trump (or Vance, or Musk or whoever is president in 2026) to host the Brits for that particular anniversary rather than the American president supplicating himself over to the British king.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Ralph Fiennes closed out 2024 on CNN, doing Jools Lebron’s “very mindful, very demure” monologue live with Anderson Cooper & Andy Cohen. [Just Jared]
Fake Spainard Hilaria Baldwin’s come-and-go Mexican accent is back. [Jezebel]
Jake Bates became a meme because of his sultry stretching. [Socialite Life]
The biggest box office lessons of 2024. [Pajiba]
Taylor Swift’s 2024 fashion featured a lot of WAG-wear. [Go Fug Yourself]
Grimes converted to Christianity to stop vaping. [OMG Blog]
Critics choice: best dressed of 2024. [RCFA]
Mark Wahlberg is balding in his new movie. [Seriously OMG]
Today is Dax Shepard’s birthday. [Hollywood Life]
Teachers share the final straw which made them quit. [Buzzfeed]

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Ivana Trump, the incoming dictator’s first ex-wife, passed away in the summer of 2022 after falling down the stairs of her six-story NYC townhouse. The cause of death was classified as blunt force trauma resulting from an accident and the whole incident was perfectly legitimate and not sus in any way (despite there being an elevator in the home). Anyway, the home went on the market shortly thereafter in November 2022 for $26.5 million, roughly $3,000/square feet for the residence that’s just under 9,000 square feet total, including some outdoor space. Shockingly, there were no buyers. So a year later they dropped the price for a month, before taking it off the market entirely for a wee spell. It went back up in June of this year, this time at $19.5 mill. And still no takers! Mayhaps it has to do with the objectively tacky interior design that Ivana personally oversaw (in the 90s) that comes with the property?

The late Ivana Trump’s New York City townhouse is still on the market more than two years after her death.

The property was first listed in November 2022, four months after the businesswoman died at age 73 after falling down a flight of stairs in the home on July 14.

It was initially asking $26.5 million. After almost a year on the market, the price was slashed to $22.5 million in September 2023. A month later, the listing was taken off the market and then relisted for a lower price in June 2024 for $19.5 million.

Ivana, who was married to Donald Trump from 1977 to 1990s, moved into the townhome shortly after their split. Very little has changed since she renovated the property in the ‘90s.

Following Ivana’s death, it was revealed by the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office that she had suffered blunt force injuries to her torso as a result of the fall. Officials pronounced her dead on the scene and ruled the incident as an accident.

The home, located in Manhattan’s Lenox Hill neighborhood, is jointly listed by J. Roger Erickson of Douglas Elliman and Adam D. Modlin of Modlin Group.

The townhouse spans six stories and features five bedrooms and five full bathrooms. Lavish finishings include a crystal chandelier, silk wallpaper and a gold-embossed fireplace in the second-floor living room.

A gated elevator and a central, curved staircase connect each floor. The Versailles-inspired dining room’s vast windows overlook the private interior courtyard.

An expansive primary suite occupies the entire third floor. From the bedroom, three French doors lead to the private outdoor terrace. The ensuite bathroom boasts pink onyx marble and includes a double sink and a large soaking tub.

Across the bedroom is an office adorned with leopard print furniture and an onyx fireplace with gold detailing. Adjacent to the office is a walk-in closet.

On the remaining floors, guest rooms overlook the stately homes on 64th Street. The impressive space also boasts a media room and a sauna.

[From People]

Ok, so whose bright idea was it to sell the place fully furnished? I’m no realtor, but I have been watching HGTV for well over 10 years. Plus, I have EYES. No one wants that townhouse as-is. No one is going to walk in there and think, “Oh thank heavens they kept it intact. I’ll take it all!” What people are seeing when they look at the listing is all the millions on top of the initial price tag that will have to be spent on extensive renovations. And look, I freely admit that like the inimitable Iris Apfel before me, I’m a more is more girl. I like bright colors, mixing patterns, and I cannot honestly say that I wouldn’t decorate a room entirely in leopard. But the thing about going over-the-top is, the pieces you’re working with still have to be tasteful. So… yeah. But bless J. Roger Erickson’s heart for trying, like in this video tour where he claims that pink onyx is back in for bathrooms. Honestly, though? I love this for Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric, to whom the proceeds will go. You know, in the increasingly unlikely event someone actually ends up making an offer.

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We don’t know the exact terms of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s divorce, which was finalized right at the end of 2024. TMZ said that Angelina is not getting any kind of spousal support and there doesn’t seem to be any custodial agreement for the only minor children, twins Knox and Vivienne. I would assume that Angelina accepted a simple lump-sum settlement, just as I’m assuming that Brad and Angelina both refused to sign NDAs. While neither Jolie or Pitt has said anything on the record, sources close to both are speaking at length to People Magazine. Some highlights from People’s exclusive:

Angelina Jolie hopes Brad will stop attacking her: A source close to Jolie tells PEOPLE that she hopes Pitt can now “move on” and “stop attacking her…Brad has successfully used his power and his privilege to cover up his conduct at his family’s expense, to punish Angelina for leaving, and even to attempt to paint her as the reason why his relationship is so challenging with the children,” says the source. “Angelina hopes the finalization of their divorce will enable him to move on, stop attacking her, and instead help heal their family.”

Team Pitt rejects that characterization: A source close to Pitt rejects the characterization, telling PEOPLE that Jolie has engaged in “one-sided attacks for the past eight years, including a never-ending distortion of facts and projecting their own behavior onto others, causing tremendous collateral damage to those in and around the family.”

The Miraval lawsuit continues though: On Dec. 30, a Jolie source added: “Sadly, until he drops his lawsuit, this family will not have the peace and healing they so very much desire and deserve.” Still, “Until he ends the Miraval lawsuit, Angelina will continue to stand up to him,” says the source.

Team Pitt still insists that Brad has a case: On Tuesday, Dec. 31, a source close to Pitt calls Miraval “a perfect example” of Jolie’s approach to attacking Pitt. “Brad built an extraordinary, increasingly valuable business and she chose to deliberately disregard their agreement, and instead of completing negotiations for him to buy her out and keeping Miraval fully in the family and ending the battles, she instead chose to sell to a total stranger not aligned with the company’s vision so she could take the money for herself and punish him,” says the source.

[From People]

All of this is true: “Brad has successfully used his power and his privilege to cover up his conduct at his family’s expense, to punish Angelina for leaving, and even to attempt to paint her as the reason why his relationship is so challenging with the children.” I’ll never forget Pitt’s Oscar campaign and the way he’s been treated in elite Hollywood circles, even though his abuse is well-documented. It also feels like a relatively new thing with Jolie’s team calling it out for what it is: Brad trying to punish her for leaving. He’s still f–king mad at her for leaving eight years ago.

The stuff about the Miraval lawsuit is typical Pitt delusion too – “she chose to deliberately disregard their agreement, and instead of completing negotiations for him to buy her out…” I remember a time, not so long ago, when the crux of Pitt’s argument was that Angelina surprised him by selling Nouvel, that he had no idea about ANY of it. Now, suddenly, he remembers that she tried to sell Nouvel to him and walked away from the deal because he wanted her to sign a comprehensive NDA.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.