Stop The Presses

October 1 update: I've now read the actual article in the Oct. 10 "Why She Left" issue and what I originally wrote in this post was right - People didn't have "The Real Story." The article was pretty generic, actually, and the magazine rushed itself into print before the 2nd bombshell exploded, which is that there was an altercation on a private plane and Brad is being investigated by Child Services and the FBI. As I write this, there's news that Brad and Angie have reached some kind of temporary custody agreement.

Original post:
When I wrote my previous post, about the Brangelina divorce being the People cover story this week, I had a brief moment of wondering if People could really get the story written and published by Wednesday morning. I figured they'd go for it, stopping the presses and scrambling like mad to get the info out there in print as soon as possible.

I was wrong about that. The cover that posted online Wednesday morning was clearly the original "pre-bombshell" version, with no reference at all to the big news:

Issue dated October 3, 2016: Michael Strahan


According to The Cut, at New York magazine, the timing is not coincidental but a carefully executed media strategy by Angelina:

By filing for divorce on a Monday, Angie left [Brad] with few avenues to make his case to the public: The major tabloids — People, Us Weekly, OK! — all go to press Monday night. The New York Post reports that none of the tabloids have Brangelina stories for this week; they won’t be able to “exploit the explosive and popular news story until Sept. 28, when next week’s issues start to hit newsstands.” As Lainey Lui at Lainey Gossip explains, “This was all was part of [Angelina’s] plan, as always, to control the media, to get her piece out there first, so that she can come strong in negotiations. If he gives her sole physical custody of the kids, she’ll shut it down, and all this can just be ‘gossip.’” Read the article here. 

(Apparently the tabloids, including People, actually finalize each issue on Monday night.)

People wasn't playing by Angie's rules, however, and they did scramble like mad to get next week's issue out six days early:

Issue dated October 10, 2016: Brangelina Divorce


They didn't really have THE REAL STORY, however, because this cover was clearly finalized before this morning's bombshell went public, which is that Brad Pitt is being investigated for child abuse. (Read that story here.)

Final thoughts, at least for now:

What's next for Brad and Angie? No way to know, but a short announcement that Brad has checked himself into rehab for substance abuse wouldn't surprise me.

George and Amal Clooney get a topline story on the Michael Strahan cover, in honor of their second anniversary, just a few weeks after Brad and Angie's. At the time of the two big weddings in 2014, I would have said that Brangelina had a better shot at going the distance, but so far George and Amal appear to be doing just fine.

Finally, Michael Strahan. Is he annoyed that his big moment in the spotlight got swallowed up by the Brangelina divorce story? Probably.