Now don’t panic folks but we have some big news: Hollywood star Brad Pitt has been spotted spending time with *checks notes* a female friend. And not just a female friend but Arrested Development star Alia Shawkat!
Eagle-eyed onlookers spotted Brad (and his now trademark newsboy cap) hanging out with Alia at a Los Angeles art gallery, where they mingled, looked at a bunch of art pieces, and generally had a good time.
It could be just a coincidence but alas, some folks (via The Cut) have dug up old paparazzi shots of the duo attending Ethan Cohan’s A Play Is a Poem back in September.
Okay, so Brad’s been single after splitting with Angelina Jolie, Alia’s, uh, female, and they’ve been hanging out a lot recently, therefore they must – MUST – totally be dating. It’s just simple logic, y’all.
Sarcasm aside, there are two possibilities to this unexpected pairing. Either Brad Pitt and Alia Shawkat are dating and have been for a few months, or the pair are just friends who bonded over their love of art and the work of Ethan Cohan.
And as it turns out (unsurprisingly), it’s the latter scenario that’s at play here.
According to “sources” who spilled the tea to E! News, Brad and Alia are just mates who like hanging out at art galleries and are most certainly not a couple. Sorry to disappoint all those who follow the Hollywood gossip train like a hawk.
The hooplah surrounding this whole thing is truly fascinating because whenever two Hollywood stars are spotted hanging out – especially if one of them is Brad Pitt and the other is a female – the public’s immediate reaction is to think that they’re dating.
It’s almost like people forget that Hollywood stars aren’t people who have friends whose company they enjoy without feeling the need to bang them. Surely folks have seen enough romcoms to understand that it is possible for a man and a woman to be just pals.
So in short, Brad Pitt was spotted hanging out with a female friend. That’s it, that’s all there is to it.
It is at this point I feel like I should also clarify the rumours: I am also not dating Brad Pitt.