Rumors were buzzing around New Years that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, affectionately known as Brangelina, may have secretly married on Christmas Day.
According to UK tabloid The Telegraph, the longtime couple secretly became husband and wife on Christmas Day in the Caribbean’s Turks and Caicos Islands surrounded by their children, Pitt’s parents and other extended family.
Utilizing strategically hesitant language, the tabloid reported Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt “might have given the world’s press the slip and tied the knot while the paparazzi were busy tucking into turkey.” Naturally, the story caught search engines by storm, as media outlets have been monitoring the couple with untiring scrutiny since they announced their engagement in April.
However, despite the popularity of the wedding report, as with all Brangelina rumors, there’s a possibility the story is not true. This time, The Telegraph in particular is being blamed for intentionally spreading false details about the alleged Christmas day nuptials. Vanity Fair attacked The Telegraph for questionable reporting in an article titled “The Anatomy of a Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie Wedding Rumor.”
Vanity Fair claims The Telegraph story raises a larger discussion of reporting ethics and tabloid culture. “What the article lacks in substantiation and sourcing, it makes up in descriptive detail about Donna Karan’s Parrot Cay estate where the rumored wedding allegedly happened” said the Vanity Fair article.
When it did supply facts, The Telegraph report also used very predictable and known information, such as the attendance of Pitt’s parents or the names of his brother and sister-in-law. Why The Telegraph would lead with such a shaky story is unclear. Given the explosive Kanye West/Kim Kardashian baby announcement, no celebrity news outlet was short on story ideas January 1.
What really did or did not happen with Brangelina on Christmas day remains unclear. Earlier this fall, Pitt confirmed to People the long-time couple would marry “soon.” Pitt added the ceremony will be “all about family.”
Pitt’s report to People remains the last official word from the couple, and reps for both stars have yet to comment on the possible Christmas Day nuptials.
