It's not true that Brad Pitt felt shattered after hearing the news that MIT professor Neri Oxman got engaged, despite the claim of a tabloid. As reported several times, Pitt and Oxman never dated each other.
Oxman got engaged to hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman last week, which prompt National Enquirer to claim Pitt's "dreams of a high-power romance" with Oxman have been shattered. The tabloid asserted he had fallen "hard" to the MIT professor, but she left him as she's afraid by his on-going custody battle with Angelina Jolie.
"Neri was spooked away from Brad because he had to take Angie to court just to get to see his kids this summer," the alleged source told the magazine. Dating Pitt has been allegedly stressful for Oxman as he's always in headlines, so she just decided to make a step backward.
To make the story believable, the sister publication of the tabloid - RadarOnline - wrote a similar story with a headline, "Poor Brad! Pitt's Ex Engaged To Billionaire Hedge Funder." The outlet maintained Ackman "stole" Oxman from Pitt, so he has no hopes to be with the MIT professor anymore. The tabloid further contends the actor has been calling Oxman nonstop while she was in a relationship with Ackman, but he only accepted his defeat as she's now engaged.
But according to Gossip Cop, the claim of both tabloids is pure fiction. Earlier this year, when the rumors between Pitt and Oxman spread on the internet, a rep for the actor confirmed the two weren't really dating. Several publications, such as E! News, reported that Pitt and Oxman are "strictly friends." People magazine also noted the actor and the professor only have "professional friendship."
In fact, Oxman confirmed in a New York Times interview last week that she never dated Pitt, and pointed out her real boyfriend is William A. Ackman, who paid more than $90 million for a penthouse in one of Manhattan's supertall buildings. But, she noted she would love to do a project with Pitt in the future.
Meanwhile, National Enquirer and RadarOnline only used the recent engagement of Oxman to make a story about Pitt, as per Gossip Cop. The two met last year through an MIT architecture project, and never - not even once - dated each other. Hence, it's not really true that Oxman is one of Pitt's exes, and the actor never "felt shattered" because she "dumped" him and got engaged with another man.
