Hollywood
Angelina Jolie was married to Brad Pitt even before wedding in France
MUMBAI: Last year in August, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt married in an intimate and low-key ceremony in France, attended by only close family members. The wedding was planned by the couple’s six children – Pax, Zahara, Vivienne, Shiloh, Knox and Maddox. The kids wrote the marital vows and their drawings even adorned Jolie’s Versace wedding gown.
Interestingly in a recent interview to the Italian magazine Io Donna, Jolie confessed that she had actually been married to Pitt even before the summer wedding.
She said, “Before the wedding in France with the kids, Brad and I were already married in California because as Americans, we couldn’t marry legally in France.”
Jolie told the magazine that it was probably not the most romantic wedding but a rather spontaneous decision.
She added, “One day I told Brad to meet up at 4:30pm. I then called a justice of the peace and we signed the documents.”
The Pitts said ‘I Do’ at their French estate, Chateau Mirval, in a ceremony presided over by a judge from California after they obtained their license in California. This confirmation comes after many had suspected they were already married before the ceremony due to U.S. laws which require citizens to obtain a license within the states.
Hollywood
Paramount eyes $24bn Gulf support to fund Warner Bros Discovery merger: Reports
Sovereign funds line up funding as media giants chase streaming scale
NEW YORK: Paramount Skydance is in talks to secure nearly $24 billion in equity commitments from Gulf sovereign wealth funds to support its planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, according to a WSJ report.
The funding push comes as Paramount Skydance advances its proposed $110 billion deal for Warner Bros. Discovery, which carries an equity valuation of $81 billion and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026.
At the heart of the financing plan are three major Gulf investors. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is expected to contribute roughly $10 billion, while the Qatar Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi-based L’imad Holding are likely to make up the remainder.
Crucially, the proposed investments are structured as non-voting stakes. This means the Gulf backers would not have direct control in the combined entity, a move designed to ease regulatory concerns in the United States. Paramount executives reportedly do not expect the deal to trigger scrutiny from bodies such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States or the Federal Communications Commission.
If completed, the merger would bring together a formidable portfolio of entertainment and news assets, including CNN and CBS. The combined entity aims to better compete in a fast-evolving media landscape where streaming platforms are steadily pulling audiences away from traditional television.
The deal reflects a broader shift in global media, where scale is increasingly seen as essential to survive the streaming wars. By pooling content libraries, technology and distribution, Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery are betting on size and synergy to drive future growth.
The involvement of deep-pocketed Gulf investors also underscores the growing role of sovereign wealth in shaping global media consolidation, particularly at a time when high-value deals demand equally large financial backing.
With shareholder votes and regulatory milestones still ahead, the proposed tie-up remains one of the most closely watched media deals of the year. If it clears the final hurdles, it could redraw the competitive map of the global entertainment industry.
