When it comes to dealing with heartbreak, you might think that Adele has a higher tolerance than all the rest of us combined. But, as it turns out, even she has her limits. At a performance in New York City on Tuesday, the same day that the fateful news dropped, Adele dedicated her concert to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's divorce. Any reaction that you had is officially acceptable at this point. I'm sure we all felt a little silly having opinions about the divorce of two celebrities that, presumably, none of us have ever met, but if Adele of all people is having trouble coping, then I think none of us need to be ashamed to feel our feelings. No matter how deeply.
Because think about it: basically Adele's entire career has been about dealing with emotional turmoil and making art out of pain. Somehow, Brangelina's split is still above her pay grade. Adele felt so acutely affected by the A-List pair's separation that she took a moment in between songs at her Sep. 20 concert at Madison Square Garden to dedicate the night to the couple of over a decade, saying,
I don't like gossiping, and private lives should be private, but I feel like it's the end of an era, so I'm dedicating this show tonight to them. I'm really, really sad... I was shocked when I woke up this morning.
Honestly, is it bad if this makes me feel better? I was a little embarrassed to care as much as I do, given that — like I said — I've never crossed paths with either Pitt or Jolie. But if even the Queen of Heartbreak herself is getting rocked by this news, maybe it's okay that I spat out my toothpaste and squawked "WHAT?" when my boyfriend casually dropped the news from the other room while I was brushing my teeth. Whether we like it or not, the Jolie-Pitts were one of the most seemingly-stable duos in Hollywood, and their relationship and adorable family was an inspiration. None of that is undercut by their separation, and, as Adele mentioned, their divorce is none of our business, but that doesn't mean we can't be sad about it.
We got used to looking at Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as a paragon of marital equality, respect, and enduring love, so, if we all need to shed a few tears about it right when we find out, that's completely understandable. All hail Adele for giving us the opportunity to do that to her music.
