Welcome to the family, James Haven!
The activist and former actor, director and producer came out as gay to the thousands of followers on his ex-wife's Instagram. The Real L Word's Romi Imbelli said she still considers him her "life partner." That's despite their 2024 marriage ending in 15 days.
Haven is part of a Hollywood family of Oscar winners. He's the older brother of Angelina Jolie and son of actors Jon Voight and the late Marcheline Bertrand. Imbelli, the former reality star, provided Haven with a platform to announce his orientation in a video on Instagram on Thursday, Aug. 6.
“I, James Haven, begin a new chapter of my life,” said Haven, 53, in a video that started with photos of himself and Imbelli, 44, set to Elton John's 1970 hit, "Your Song."
“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," he said, apparently referring to his formerly estranged and mostly absent father. “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.” He concluded with an expression of gratitude to those watching: "Thank you for reading my statement and allowing me to be what I was meant to be."
In another video, Haven also read a statement:
“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. 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.”
Afterward, Imbelli invited Haven to appear in another video posted on her Substack and Instagram to explore his decision in greater detail, starting with a quote from retired physician and author Dr. Gabor Maté of Canada.
"'There is a wisdom in trauma when you realize,' which is the most important thing any one of us can do in our life, 'when you realize the trauma is not of yourself. And the key is to work through that and become yourself," Haven said. "And that's been the story of my life."
As People reported, Haven starred alongside his sister in the 1998 HBO film, Gia, and 2001’s Original Sin. Jolie and the siblings made headlines at the 2000 Academy Awards where she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Girl, Interrupted, for kissing on the lips on the red carpet.
During her acceptance speech, Jolie said, "I’m so in love with my brother right now. He just held me and said he loved me and I know he’s so happy for me, and thank you for that."
Both Jolie and Haven have repeatedly dismissed questions of incest. Haven also made headlines in 2016 when he helped Jolie following her divorce from Pitt by becoming a "manny" to her children.
Imbelli got emotional in revealing her feelings about ex-husband's revelation, who she calls Jamie. "This is someone who I love who I was very hurt by," she said, describing his coming out as a gift. "I was able to return the gift by saying, 'Can you just live your life? Can you be free? Can I support you? Can I love you? Can I forgive you?' And I do."
Later in the video, Imbelli suggested Haven should write a book about his life, and he replied, "Mine is going to be a Broadway musical!"
Imbelli also posted another video, showing her bobbing along to Todrick Hall's song, "I'm Gay." In the caption, she addressed Haven's coming out and the reaction online. "Today, I'm going to say this loud and clear. My ex-husband coming out as gay may not shock everyone. Some people might say, 'We already knew.' But that's not the point. The point is that for a human being to spend a lifetime not feeling safe enough to say those words out loud to live in fear of what that truth might cost is heartbreaking."
She concluded: "Hearing that truth as his ex-wife gave both of us the freedom to move forward and live authentically. We get to stop carrying the weight of a story that was never fully ours to hold. We simply get to be ourselves."
Haven will be the host of a new podcast from Wonder Peak Media, Safe Haven, featuring weekly conversations with guests about their personal journeys.
