James Haven is finally speaking his truth.
The actor and brother of Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie opened up about his sexuality in a Substack livestream on Thursday, Aug. 6. Haven, who was previously married to Romi Imbelli, came out as gay in a candid interview with his ex-wife, following an emotional statement he wrote for Imbelli's memoir "Breathe Mija."
"Coming out isn't about becoming someone new, it's about allowing everyone else to meet the person who has been here all along," Haven, 53, wrote, according to Entertainment Weekly.
"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," Haven 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."
Haven, who is two years older than Jolie, is the son of Hollywood veteran Jon Voight and the late actress Marcheline Bertrand.
USA TODAY has reached out to Jolie and Voight's representatives for comment.
Haven's revelation comes nearly a year and a half after Imbelli confirmed to People magazine that the former couple had gotten an annulment shortly after their August 2024 wedding. At the time, Imbelli said the split was due to "fraud," although she did not offer further details.
"Everybody has their own experience that they are living through with a family member, a parent, a relationship," Imbelli said in Thursday's livestream. "Jamie and I have been really big on recognizing that what he went through [in] this is his very own that is valid and real and happened for him. And what I went through in this was very real and valid for me. Two different traumas happening."
In his statement for Imbelli's memoir, Haven shared that he always had a self-awareness about his LGBTQ identity.
"When I was a little boy, I was absolutely obsessed with the Disney princesses," Haven wrote, according to Entertainment Weekly. "I would sneak glitter onto my cheeks, swipe mascara onto my lashes, and for those moments, I felt like magic. I didn't have the language back then 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."
Despite the ups and downs of finding himself, Haven remained optimistic about his future in a follow-up video shared on Imbelli's Substack profile. Jolie's brother said that he is beginning a "new chapter in my life."
"After many years of healing from childhood trauma, I am now free to live the life that I believe I was always meant to live: One of hope, one of peace and one of love," Haven said. "So, as my story unfolds, I want you all to know that I do it with an open heart, with nothing but love for myself and for all of you."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angelina Jolie's brother James Haven comes out as gay after ex-wife split
