James Haven, the 53-year-old actor and filmmaker who is the older brother of Angelina Jolie, has publicly come out as gay. Haven shared the deeply personal announcement on August 6, 2026, during a livestream connected to his former wife Romi Imbelli’s Substack platform. In a prepared statement, he reflected on childhood memories, years of self-questioning and the process of finally allowing himself to live more openly. Haven described the announcement not as becoming a different person, but as giving others the opportunity to know a part of him that had always existed.
Haven is the son of actor Jon Voight and the late actress and humanitarian Marcheline Bertrand. He grew up alongside his younger sister Angelina Jolie and has maintained a comparatively private public profile despite belonging to one of Hollywood’s most recognizable families. He has worked as an actor and filmmaker and appeared in projects including Gia and Original Sin. His relationship with Jolie also attracted substantial media attention around the 2000 Academy Awards, when the siblings publicly displayed their close bond while attending the ceremony together.
During his coming-out statement, Haven said he had spent many years learning to suppress parts of himself that he now understands were important to his identity. He described childhood memories of being drawn to Disney princesses, experimenting with glitter and mascara, and experiencing those forms of self-expression as joyful rather than troubling. Looking back as an adult, he said he recognized how quickly children can learn to question characteristics that do not appear to fit the expectations surrounding them.
Haven explained that he eventually learned to hide some of those characteristics as he became more aware of how other people might react. In his statement, he reflected on the experience of growing up without always having the language or confidence necessary to understand his sexuality openly. Rather than presenting those childhood memories as evidence that he had suddenly discovered something new about himself, he described them as pieces of a personal history that became clearer with time.
One of the central ideas in Haven’s announcement was that coming out does not mean transforming into a different individual. Instead, he said the process was about finally allowing other people to see him more completely. He also spoke about reaching a stage in life where he no longer wanted to apologize for characteristics that formed part of who he was. His announcement emphasized themes of acceptance, healing and freedom rather than portraying his sexuality as something requiring explanation or justification.
Haven also addressed the people closest to him. He expressed hope that family members and others in his life would respond with compassion and understanding rather than judgment. He described himself as entering a new chapter shaped by greater peace, honesty and self-acceptance. The message was personal rather than political, focusing primarily on his own experiences and his decision to speak publicly after spending much of his life keeping his sexuality private.
His Marriage to Romi Imbelli
Haven’s announcement also brought renewed attention to his relationship with Romi Imbelli, who appeared in The Real L Word. The two reportedly knew each other for more than two decades before deciding to marry. They held an intimate wedding ceremony in Laguna Beach, California, on August 12, 2024. However, the marriage lasted only a short period before Imbelli filed paperwork seeking an annulment on August 27, just 15 days after the wedding.
When the annulment became public months later, Imbelli confirmed that she had cited “fraud” in the filing. At that stage, she did not publicly provide all of the private circumstances behind the decision. The short marriage therefore attracted speculation, but the available record did not establish the full personal story behind their separation. Haven’s 2026 announcement and the subsequent conversation between the former spouses provided additional context about the emotional complexity of their relationship.
During their recent discussion, Imbelli acknowledged that the situation had been emotionally difficult. She spoke about experiencing conflicting feelings as she began to suspect that Haven might be gay. On one hand, she cared deeply about him and wanted to support him. On the other, accepting what she suspected also meant confronting the possibility that their romantic relationship could not continue in the form she had hoped.
The conversation did not present either person as an enemy. Instead, Imbelli described Haven as someone who remained enormously important to her even after the end of their marriage. Reports on the livestream noted that she expressed continued affection and emphasized that she regarded him as family and one of the significant loves of her life. She also explained that supporting his eventual decision to come out was different from revealing his identity before he was prepared to do so himself.
That distinction became particularly important because sexuality is deeply personal, and Haven chose when and how to discuss his publicly. Imbelli said her role was not to force that disclosure but to support his process of understanding and accepting himself. Their joint appearance suggested that the end of their marriage had involved hurt and adjustment, while also showing that they had maintained a meaningful bond afterward.
Looking Back at His Childhood
Haven used his statement to revisit experiences from childhood that he now understands differently. He recalled being fascinated by characters and forms of expression that were traditionally viewed as feminine. Those memories included Disney princesses as well as experimenting privately with cosmetics. According to Haven, those moments brought him happiness before he became old enough to understand the social expectations attached to them.
He also reflected on the way those experiences gradually changed as he grew older. Like many people who spend years questioning their sexuality, Haven said he learned to suppress aspects of himself before learning how to embrace them. His account emphasized that the pressure was not simply about one event or one person’s reaction. Rather, it developed over time as he became aware of expectations about how he was supposed to behave or present himself.
Haven spoke affectionately about the child he had once been, rejecting the idea that there had been something wrong with him. He described that younger version of himself as joyful and courageous. His message suggested that the challenge came later, when external expectations made him question qualities that had originally felt natural.
The reflections also provided context for why he chose to make the announcement at 53 rather than earlier in adulthood. Coming out can happen at any stage of life, and Haven described his own process as the result of years of reflection and healing. His statement did not claim that every person follows the same path. Instead, it focused specifically on his own experience and his readiness to speak publicly at this point in his life.
His Relationship With His Famous Family
Interest in Haven has often been connected to his famous relatives. His father, Jon Voight, is an Academy Award-winning actor, while Angelina Jolie has built an internationally recognized career in film and humanitarian work. Their mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died in 2007 after battling cancer. Haven and Jolie have both spoken publicly over the years about the importance of their mother and the profound effect her death had on the family.
The relationship between Haven, Jolie and their father has also experienced periods of tension. The family’s private disagreements occasionally became public because of Voight’s and Jolie’s fame. However, accounts of the family history span many years and include periods of estrangement as well as attempts at reconciliation. Those relationships are separate from Haven’s sexuality, and his current announcement should not be interpreted as evidence about the private beliefs or reactions of relatives unless they choose to comment themselves.
In his new statement, Haven expressed hope for understanding from family members without publicly assigning specific reactions to them. That is an important distinction because his announcement was made by Haven himself, while the views of relatives such as Jolie or Voight should not be assumed in the absence of their own statements. Reports published immediately after his announcement focused primarily on Haven’s words and Imbelli’s participation in the livestream.
Haven and Jolie have historically been described as close siblings. Their appearance together at the 2000 Academy Awards became one of the most widely discussed moments of their early fame, partly because their affectionate behavior generated sensationalized media attention. Haven has subsequently addressed misconceptions surrounding that episode and characterized the relationship between himself and Jolie as a close sibling bond.
Moving Into a New Chapter
The announcement arrives as Haven prepares to move into another professional project. Reports say he is planning a podcast titled Safe Haven with James Haven. The program is expected to feature conversations about important choices, turning points and experiences that shape people’s lives. It is being produced by Wonder Peak Media, although reports published around his coming-out announcement described the project as forthcoming rather than providing a confirmed public release schedule.
The concept appears closely aligned with the subjects Haven addressed in his own statement. His discussion of childhood, identity, relationships and personal change focused on moments that gradually shaped the person he became. A conversational program centered on other people’s life transitions would therefore represent a natural extension of the themes he has begun discussing publicly.
Haven’s announcement also illustrates how personal timelines can differ considerably from public expectations. Some individuals openly understand and discuss their sexuality at a young age, while others do so much later. Haven described his own decision as arriving after decades of experiences, questions and personal work. Nothing in his statement suggested that he expected his path to serve as a template for anyone else.
The involvement of Imbelli made the announcement especially personal because their own history had been complicated by the same questions Haven was finally discussing publicly. Rather than minimizing the difficulties their relationship experienced, both acknowledged that the process involved emotional pain. At the same time, their conversation indicated that affection and support survived the end of their marriage.
Imbelli’s comments also showed that accepting a former partner’s identity and acknowledging one’s own hurt do not necessarily have to be contradictory. She described a period in which she wanted to support Haven while simultaneously struggling with what his sexuality meant for the future of their romantic relationship. Eventually, the two appear to have reached a place where they could discuss those experiences together publicly.
For Haven, the central message was ultimately about living with greater openness. At 53, he said he was moving into a chapter characterized by freedom, peace and greater acceptance of himself. His reflections did not erase the complicated experiences that preceded the announcement, including the brief marriage and years of keeping parts of his identity private. Instead, he presented those experiences as part of the journey that brought him to this point.
The response to a personal announcement involving a celebrity family can easily become dominated by speculation about relatives or past relationships. In this case, however, the clearest information comes from Haven himself. He publicly identified as gay, reflected on childhood memories that now carry greater meaning for him, and expressed a desire to live without continuing to hide an important part of who he is.
His former wife also publicly offered support while being candid about the pain associated with the end of their romantic relationship. Their discussion demonstrated that the story involved more than a simple celebrity announcement. It also involved two longtime friends working through a complicated transition and attempting to preserve a meaningful connection after their marriage ended.
For now, Haven appears focused on the future rather than continuing to conceal his identity. His public statement marks a significant personal turning point after decades spent largely outside the intense spotlight surrounding his sister and father. Whether discussing family, relationships or his forthcoming podcast, he is beginning this period on his own terms.
And that is ultimately the most accurate way to understand the announcement. James Haven has publicly come out as gay at 53, after years of privately navigating questions surrounding his identity. He has spoken about childhood memories, his former marriage, self-acceptance and his hopes for understanding from the people around him. Rather than presenting himself as a different person, he described the moment as finally allowing the world to meet more fully the person he says has been there all along.
