Angelina Jolie's brother James Haven is living his truth. The 53-year-old actor and producer revealed that he is gay more than a year after separating from his wife, The Real L Word star Romi Imbelli.
© Vinnie ZuffanteHaven shared the news during a livestream on his former wife's Substack, explaining that he came out to her after the pair annulled their marriage in March 2025. Imbelli wrote about their story in her memoir Breathe Mija, with his permission to share it.
The couple had quietly tied the knot in August 2024 before separating just 15 days later. They reportedly cited the reason as “fraud.”
© GettyReflecting on his journey, Haven said he's always known there was a part of himself he needed to let "shine." "Since I was a little boy, I was absolutely obsessed with the Disney princesses," he shared. "I didn't have the language back then to explain why. I just knew it made me feel more like me."
"I started wondering if that sparkle was something I had to hide to be accepted by the ‘normal’ boys around me," he said.
His experience is not unusual. "Like so many gay kids, I learned to question parts of myself long before I learned to celebrate them," he explained.
"It was never about pretending to be someone else," he continued. "It was about letting a part of myself shine that had always been there."
For Haven, coming out wasn't about changing who he is. "It's not about becoming someone new," he said. "It's about allowing everyone else to meet the person who has been here all along."
© GettyHe also said he hopes that his family would embrace him with compassion. "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 said.
© GettyWhile his mom, Marcheline Bertrand, passed away in 2007, his dad, Jon Voight, is 87. His only sibling is Angelina. "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," he added. Angelina reportedly did not attend his wedding.
Haven ended his message with a tribute to his younger self, rejecting the idea that there was ever anything wrong with who he was. "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.
© GettyImbelli admitted that she already knew, but was afraid to admit it. "I knew it, and I wanted to support you and love you," she said. "Then I didn't want to believe it because it would mean losing you in that capacity."
Despite the end of their marriage, Imbelli said the two remain deeply connected, calling him her "life partner."
"We will do life together," she said. "You are not my close friend. You are my love. And you happen to be gay."
The former reality star also shared a joint statement on Instagram, writing, "I wasn't here to out someone I love. I was here to help set someone free."
They also shared a reel on Instagram with photos together over the years, showing how strong their bond remains. "This story was never just mine. It was ours," Imbelli wrote in the caption.
"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 continued.
Imbelli reflected on the end of her marriage, saying their relationship had simply evolved. "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," she wrote.
Despite their split, she made it clear there is no bitterness between them, adding, "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."
