At one point in time, the world was taken aback by the unexpected union of Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton in 1999. The surprise wasn’t just because of their 20-year age difference, but also because both of them were already involved with other people at the time.
Laura Dern, a well-known actress and Billy Bob’s former fiancé, had no idea about the wedding until it was disclosed to the public. Laura and Billy Bob had been in a relationship since 1997, shortly after she had ended her relationship with Jeff Goldblum. Meanwhile, 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 quickly escalated, resulting in 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 Thorton has never publicly admitted any wrongdoings, 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.”
It’s interesting to note that Laura Dern and Angelina Jolie already knew each other from when Laura used to babysit Angelina when they were younger. Laura’s father, Bruce Stern, spoke about that time, mentioning how Laura babysat for Angelina when she was just 2 years old and Laura was about 8 years old. This connection adds another layer of surprise to their unexpected love triangle.
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 to protect his privacy. In 2014, he remarried to a puppeteer and has tried to stay out of the spotlight ever since.
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.
