At one point in time, the world was captivated by the unexpected union of Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton in 1999. The age difference of 20 years and the fact that they were already involved with other people added to the surprise.
Laura Dern, a well-known actress and Billy Bob’s former fiancé, had no idea about the wedding until it became public knowledge. Laura and Billy Bob had been in a relationship since 1997, shortly after she had ended her relationship with Jeff Goldblum. At the time, Billy Bob was going through a divorce from his fourth marriage. They were engaged and planning their own wedding when he met Angelina Jolie, and everything changed.
Their relationship escalated quickly, leading to a spontaneous wedding in Las Vegas. Laura was caught completely off-guard by the turn of events. She shared, “I left our home to work on a movie, and while I was away, my boyfriend got married, and I’ve never heard from him again.”
Although Billy Bob Thornton has never publicly admitted any wrongdoing, in a 2001 interview, he expressed some remorse for the pain caused. He said, “Others may say that you left our girl and married someone else. But it made me happy and somebody else happy. I’m sorry it caused pain.”
Adding another layer of surprise to this already unpredictable love triangle is the fact that Laura Dern and Angelina Jolie already knew each other from their childhood. Laura used to babysit Angelina when they were younger. Laura’s father, Bruce Dern, mentioned this connection when he spoke about that time. He said that Laura babysat Angelina when she was just 2 years old, while Laura herself was about 8 years old.
During this challenging time, Laura found support in her friend Melissa Etheridge, who witnessed Angelina’s actions towards Laura and Billy Bob. Melissa shared her personal experience, saying, “I was around when Angelina was not doing nice things with Billy Bob to Laura Dern. I went through that on a personal level, and then to know the side of Jennifer and Brad. I helped Laura move out of her house with Billy Bob — I like broke into their home to get their stuff out because it was so nasty.”
Eventually, Laura Dern moved on with her life and married Ben Harper, with whom she has two children. On the other hand, Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton divorced in 2002, leading Billy Bob to swear off dating celebrities in order to protect his privacy. In 2014, he remarried to a puppeteer and has since tried to stay out of the spotlight.
The story of Laura Dern, Billy Bob Thornton, and Angelina Jolie is a reminder that even in the world of the rich and famous, unexpected twists and turns can occur.
