Billy Bob Thornton Has Been With Wife Connie Angland Since His Split From Angelina Jolie
Billy Bob Thornton had five ex-wives before marrying Connie Angland. While the couple keeps their relationship relatively private, one of Thornton's previous marriages ignited a Hollywood frenzy. Thornton and Angelina Jolie tied the knot on May 5, 2000. The Las Vegas marriage officer, Rev. Hamilton, told the Daily Mail, "They did my regular vows. The wedding rings were very plain, they weren't anything fancy."
Despite Jolie and Thornton's quiet, unpretentious matrimonial ceremony, their relationship soon made headlines. Who can ever forget Thornton's statement at the Gone in 60 Seconds" premiere, "We f***ed in the car on the way here" while treating fans to an up-close exhibit of their passion for each other? Years later, Thornton appeared on the "HFPA in Conversation" podcast and addressed the vials of blood he and Jolie wore around their necks. "The necklaces were a very simple thing: 'Hey, let's poke our fingers with a pen and smear a little blood on there, and when we're away from each other we'll wear the necklace.'" But their bloody displays of affection and tattoos of devotion were not enough to keep the flames of love burning, and they officially divorced in 2003. He continued, "We just had different lifestyles. Hers is a global lifestyle and mine is an agoraphobic lifestyle. So that's really, that's the only reason we're probably not still together."
However, Thornton has long since moved on from Jolie. In fact, Thornton's marriage to Angland may be his most significant relationship to date.
Why Billy Bob Thornton's marriage to Connie Angland is different
Billy Bob Thornton's two-decade relationship with Connie Angland has lasted longer than his previous five marriages put together. The "Fargo" actor was married to Melissa Lee Gatlin (1978-1980), Toni Lawrence (1986-1988), Cynda Williams (1990-1992), Pietra Thornton (1993-1997), and Angelina Jolie (2000-2003). The musician was still technically married to Jolie when he met Angland in 2002 on the set of "Bad Santa," and they quickly became inseparable. In 2004, the couple welcomed baby Bella Thornton, and the "Goliath" star proudly showed off the three-week-old newborn when he received his star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. Yet, unlike some of his other relationships, Thornton seemed gun-shy about tying the knot. In 2008, he told Maxim, "I told Connie I didn't want to put her through that ... If we get married, then the press will start calling her "Number Six."
Thornton and Angland decided to take their chances and wed 12 years after they started dating on October 22, 2014. US Weekly confirmed that they wed "at their home in Los Angeles during a private ceremony before family." Just three months prior to their wedding, Thornton appeared on Oprah's Master Class. He said, "I'm in a good relationship now and have been for 10 years, we have a beautiful daughter." Bella appears to be the apple of her father's eye as he added, "My little girl ... she has me wrapped completely around her finger. I just do anything she says."
Billy Bob Thornton rates himself as a romantic partner
Billy Bob Thornton has spoken out about his relationships over the years. His frank introspection leaves no doubt that he knows that he wasn't the ideal partner. In a 2006 interview with Elle, four years into his relationship with Connie Angland, he was asked if he advised his pals about women. Thornton replied that he told his friends, "'Don't ask me.' I don't have a very good track record in terms of relationships." The "Sling Blade" actor reaffirmed that he wasn't the best romantic partner when he was asked about the type of men his daughter Bella Thornton may bring home. "Once my daughter was born it does something to you. I don't want my daughter to ever be anywhere near anyone like me," he told The Mirror in 2017.
Even though Thornton's marriage to Angelina Jolie is long over, she still holds him in high regard and they are still friends. In fact, the "Eternals" actor wrote the heartfelt foreword to Thornton's autobiography "The Billy Bob Tapes: A Cave Full of Ghosts." Her tribute is an intimate look at the man she has come to know through years of friendship. Jolie penned, "Most of all, he would die for his family. He has a big beautiful heart ... I know one thing: The world would certainly be a hell of a lot more dull if that man weren't in it.'