Clooney learns of Brangelina split at UN roundtable

WASHINGTON • Who was more uncomfortable during the exchange on Tuesday between CNN senior United Nations reporter Richard Roth and actor George Clooney?

Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, were participating in the UN roundtable on the Syrian refugee crisis convened by United States President Barack Obama. Roth was doing his usual beat coverage of high-level international issues and interviewing the star for CNN.

But the biggest news of the day - the divorce of Clooney's old pals Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie - dictated that their interview take a tabloid-y turn.

"Don't shoot me on this last question," Roth says to the actor in a clip of the exchange that CNN posted (having, it seems, cut the more substantive conversation that preceded it). "It's a big story," he adds. "You're friends with both of them."

Then it is Clooney's turn to look uneasy - when it becomes clear that he has not heard the news and Roth is breaking it to him. "I didn't know that - wow."

The typically unflappable Oscarwinner looks like he might need a moment.

"I feel very sorry for them," he finally says. "That's a sad story and unfortunate for a family."

WASHINGTON POST

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 23, 2016, with the headline Clooney learns of Brangelina split at UN roundtable. Subscribe