NEWSAngelina Jolie's Brother James Haven Comes Out as Gay at Age 53 in Letter About Sexuality: 'I No Longer Feel the Need to Apologize'
Angelina Jolie's older brother revealed he is gay.
Aug. 6 2026, Updated 4:52 p.m. ET
James Haven is ready to speak his truth.
On Thursday, August 6, the 53-year-old brother of actress Angelina Jolie, 51, came out as gay via his ex-wife Romi Imbelli's Substack.
James Haven wrote a personal letter about his sexuality.
Haven and Imbelli got married in 2024, but split just weeks later. The pair had been friends for more than 20 years before they tied the knot and have maintained their friendship since.
“I’m gay,” he announced in a video as he read the letter he wrote about his sexuality.
'It Was Never About Pretending to Be Someone Else'
James Haven shared that when he was younger, he 'didn't have the language' to explain how he felt.
He continued, "When I was a little boy, I was absolutely obsessed with the Disney princesses. I would sneak glitter onto my cheeks, swipe mascara onto my lashes, and for those moments, I felt like magic."
Back then, Haven shared he "didn't have the language...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," he added.
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'Meet the Person Who Has Been Here All Along'
James Haven asked people to 'look beyond the labels.'
He shared that as he got older, "I started wondering if that sparkle was something I had to hide to be accepted by the 'normal' boys around me. Like so many gay kids, I learned to question parts of myself long before I learned to celebrate them."
Haven explained, "Coming out isn't about becoming someone new, it's about allowing everyone else to meet the person who has been here all along."
"I hope my family and others can choose love over fear, understanding over judgment, and connection over the beliefs that may have kept us apart," he expressed. "I hope they can look beyond the labels and simply see me with the same heart, the same laugh, the same soul they've always known."
'I No Longer Feel the Need to Apologize'
James Haven is Angelina Jolie's older brother.
Haven shared he is proud of the person he is and grateful "that I no longer feel the need to apologize for the parts of me that make me who I am."
"That little boy with glitter on his face and mascara on his lashes was never confused, broken, or something to be ashamed of. He was simply gay. He was joyful. He was brave before he even knew it," he wrote.
Haven and Imbelli also released a joint letter via her Instagram on August 6.
"I’ll always love him. Just not as his wife, but as my family, my best friend, and one of the greatest loves of my life," Imbelli penned.
