Angelina Jolie‘s brother, James Haven, publicly came out as gay after splitting from ex-wife, Romi Imbelli.
“I’m gay,” Haven, 53, said during a Thursday, August 6, livestream alongside Imbelli, 44, for her Substack, which earned an enthusiastic cheer from his ex.
Haven, who is the son of Jon Voight and the late Marcheline Bertrand, decided to come out to Imbelli when they reconnected after having their marriage annulled in March 2025. (The exes wed in August 2024 and were only married for 15 days before separating.)
Haven also shared a letter he wrote about coming to terms with his sexuality.
“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,” he read aloud during the livestream, adding that he “didn’t have the language back then to explain why I just knew it made me feel more like me.”
Haven added that he never wanted to pretend to be something he wasn’t, but now wants to let a part of himself “shine that had always been there.”
“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 continued. “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.”
Following the livestream, Imbelli took to social media to share how proud she was of Haven for being his most authentic self.
“This story was never just mine. It was ours. I wasn’t here to out someone I love. I was here to help set someone free. There is a difference. In return he set me free,” she wrote via Instagram on Thursday. “Forgiveness, grace, and unconditional love have carried us to this moment. We ask only that you give him the same compassion as he learns to walk through this world with his head held high, exactly as God made him.”
Imbelli continued, “Love doesn’t always fit into the boxes we’re taught it should. Sometimes it transforms. Sometimes it changes shape. Sometimes it asks us to let go of what we imagined so we can embrace what is true. 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.”
Haven has kept a relatively low profile since retiring from acting in 2013. He famously made his onscreen debut in Jolie’s 1998 movie Gia. Two years later, the siblings infamously kissed on the lips at an Oscar party.
Haven will soon be launching his “Safe Haven” podcast with Wonder Peak Media. Each week, he will guide his guests through the moments, choices and turning points that shaped who they have become.
