Angelina Jolie’s brother James Haven comes out as gay at 53

Angelina Jolie’s older brother, James Haven, came out to the world on Thursday in a candid livestream with his ex-wife, revealing that he was a gay man.

The 53-year-old appeared on his ex Romi Imbelli’s livestream for her Substack, Breathe Mija, and confirmed the news in the 35-minute video.

James’ coming out story

“I’m gay. I’m a lot of things,” he began in his statement. Romi chimed in, sharing that she had an inkling that her ex-husband was gay all along.

“I didn’t want to see it. I didn’t want to believe,” she explained. “I knew it, and I wanted to support you and love you, and then I didn’t want to believe it because then it would mean losing you in that capacity, which I couldn’t.”

Romi, who married James in August 2024 and filed for annulment just 15 days later, shared that he would remain her “life partner” and her “love”.

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“I, James Haven, begin a new chapter of my life,” he continued. 

“After many years of healing from childhood trauma, I am now free to live the life that I believe I was always meant to live. One of hope, one of peace and one of love. So as my story unfolds, I want you all to know that I do it with an open heart, with nothing but love for myself and for all of you.”

“Thank you for allowing me to be what I was meant to be,” he concluded.

Living in fear

James delved deeper into the topic in a separate statement posted on Romi’s Substack, revealing that he had learned to suppress his sexuality during childhood.   

“When I was a little boy, I was absolutely obsessed with the Disney princesses,” he wrote. “I would sneak glitter onto my cheeks, swipe mascara onto my lashes, and for those moments, I felt like magic.”

He continued: “I didn’t have the language back then to explain why I just knew it made me feel more like me. It was never about pretending to be someone else. It was about letting a part of myself shine that had always been there.”

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“Like so many gay kids, I learned to question parts of myself long before I learned to celebrate them. I spent years dimming my light because I thought that was the price of belonging,” James explained.

The actor said that as he grew older, he spent several years “dimming my light because I thought that was the price of belonging”.

“Coming out isn’t about becoming someone new, it’s about allowing everyone else to meet the person who has been here all along.” James went on to plead with his family, asking them to “choose love over fear” and to “simply see me”.

A close bond

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James is the eldest child of actor Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand, and is two years older than his sister, Angelina. He is perhaps most well-known for sharing a kiss with her at the 2000 Academy Awards, after Angelina picked up the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

“I’m in shock, and I’m so in love with my brother right now,” the actress said in her acceptance speech. “He just held me and said he loved me, and I know he’s so happy for me, and thank you for that.”