Billy Bob and Laura’s relationship began in 1997, shortly after Laura’s split from Jeff Goldblum and Billy Bob’s ongoing divorce from his fourth wife, Pietra Dawn Cherniak, per E! Online. After two years together they were engaged and preparing for a wedding when Billy Bob crossed paths with Angelina on the set of Pushing Tin in 1999.

Their whirlwind romance culminated in a spontaneous wedding in Las Vegas in May 2000, catching Laura off guard. Reflecting on the abrupt turn of events, Laura shared (via InStyle): “I left our home to work on a movie, and while I was away, my boyfriend got married, and I’ve never heard from him again.” The situation left her feeling a sense of sudden loss and confusion, with no closure in sight.

While Billy Bob has never explicitly acknowledged any wrongdoing, he did express regret in a 2001 interview, stating, per the Mirror: “Others may say that you left our girl and married someone else. But it made me happy and somebody else happy. I’m sorry it caused pain.”

Adding an odd twist to the narrative, Laura and Angelina had a prior connection, with Laura having babysat Angelina when they were children, Yahoo detailed.

Laura’s father, Bruce Dern, recalled that time. “Jon Voight’s a friend of mine, so I remember Laura babysat one night for Angelina when Angelina was 2 and Laura about 8 … because Jon and I were doing Coming Home,” Bruce said referring to the 1978 movie. “They were staying over at [director] Hal Ashby’s house, so they asked [Laura] to come over [to watch Angie].”

Following the breakup, Laura received support from her friend Melissa Etheridge, who recounted helping Laura move out of her shared home with Billy Bob.