Brad Pitt and Ines de Ramon have made their relationship more public than ever in 2026, attending high-profile events such as the Mercedes-AMG World Premiere, the French Open, and the World Cup. Despite their increased visibility, friends describe the last few years as “bittersweet” for the Oscar-winning actor, who remains “alienated” from his six children following his divorce from Angelina Jolie. “Ines definitely makes Brad happy,” a friend of the couple stated, adding, “This has obviously been a very bittersweet few years for Brad; he won his first Oscar, then had the highest-grossing film of his career with F1, and Plan B, his production company, has been really successful as has Miraval. But there’s also been the completion of the efforts to alienate the children from him, efforts which have sadly been incredibly effective but also incredibly upsetting.”

Between May and July 2026, the couple became particularly visible, appearing with A-list friends Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz at the Mercedes-AMG World Premiere in Los Angeles, and the World Cup. A friend of Brad’s for over 10 years explained, “The reality is that the last few years, Brad has really spent a lot of time filming, and so when there is a break and an opportunity to live life and attend more events, like the World Cup, to enjoy things little bit in between, they take it.”

The massive global box office success of F1 marked an unprecedented professional peak for Brad over the past 18 months. He currently has three acting credits in production and post-production, including a spin-off to the Oscar-winning Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, as well as two producing projects. Brad has also relaunched Miraval Studios at his French chateau, where artists like Sade, Travis Scott, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have recorded.

Amid their busy schedules, Brad and Ines were part of the star-studded guest list at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's landmark Madison Square Garden nuptials in July. Celebrity hairstylist Laurie Zanoletti facilitated their social media debut by posting a picture of the two getting ready before Taylor Swift’s July 3 wedding. However, marriage for Brad and Ines is currently off the table, with a friend indicating that the ongoing estrangement between Brad and his six children has “made it hard for him to move forward.”

Brad married Angelina Jolie in 2014, and they have six children: Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 18. They separated in 2016, and their relationship remains acrimonious, marked by accusations from Angelina and their children of physical abuse from Brad, which he has always denied. A friend claims, “The situation with the children remains incredibly troubling,” feeling the children have been used as “pawns.” Four of their children—Shiloh, Zahara, Maddox, and Vivienne—have taken legal or professional steps to drop “Pitt” from their last names in the last two years, all after becoming legal adults. Son Pax reportedly maintains a relationship with the extended Pitt family, though he is not thought to be particularly close to his father.

Brad, 62, and Ines, 33, the Vice President of Los Angeles-based jewelry brand Anita Ko, publicly confirmed their romance in November 2022, attending a Bono concert in Los Angeles with mutual friends. They maintained a low profile for the first 18 months of their relationship until 2024, when Ines, who studied at the University of Geneva in Switzerland and has worked for auction house Christie's and luxury Swiss jeweler De Grisogono, was seen visiting Brad on the set of his F1 film in July 2024. Brad was there to research and work on what would become the smash hit film, F1, and Ines’s appearance clearly indicated her support for him. In the fall of that same year, Ines began joining Brad at important milestone events, notably posing alongside Brad’s BFF George Clooney and his wife Amal for the premiere of Brad and George’s crime caper Wolfs in September 2024.

Friends emphasize that after four “steady and consistent” years together, Ines has become an anchor for Brad. While her role in any potential reconciliation with his children remains uncertain, she continues to be an “important” part of the actor’s life as they look to the future.