Jon Voight Calls James Haven After 6-Year Rift, Affirming Son's Coming Out

Q: After a six-year feud, what shocking revelation finally pushed Jon Voight to embrace his 53-year-old son James Haven?

Jon Voight’s embrace was triggered by James Haven publicly coming out as gay at age 53. After Haven announced his sexuality during a livestream with his ex-wife, Romi Imbelli, Voight repeatedly called him. When Haven finally answered, he said his father responded with unexpected warmth, telling him, “I finally know who you are,” and, “Now I understand why you’ve been so private.” That revelation appears to have given Voight a new understanding of his son after years of estrangement. Haven said the two had not spoken for six years because he felt undervalued by his father, though they had recently begun repairing the relationship over a long dinner in which Voight acknowledged past mistakes. Haven described the phone call as “mind-blowing” and “surreal,” saying it made him feel seen, understood and loved. In short, the “shocking revelation” was Haven’s public disclosure that he is gay, which prompted Voight’s affirming response and helped deepen their reconciliation.

Q: How did a livestream confession with an ex-wife instantly heal a bitter, years-long Hollywood family rift between James Haven and his famous father?

It helped heal the rift because James Haven’s public coming-out gave Jon Voight a new understanding of his son, and Voight responded immediately with acceptance rather than rejection. Haven said that after he came out as gay during a livestream with his ex-wife, Romi Imbelli, Voight repeatedly called him until he answered. On that call, Haven said his father told him, “I finally know who you are,” and, “Now I understand why you’ve been so private.” Haven described that reaction as “mind-blowing” and “surreal,” saying it made him feel seen, understood and loved. The moment mattered because the estrangement had been long and personal. Haven said he and Voight had not spoken for about six years because he felt undervalued by his father. He said their relationship had already begun to improve through a recent reconciliation dinner in which Voight acknowledged past mistakes, but the livestream appears to have triggered a deeper emotional breakthrough. Imbelli, who hosted the livestream and supported Haven through the announcement, said they had been anxiously waiting for Voight’s response. Instead of worsening tensions, the public confession appears to have clarified years of silence and privacy for Voight, allowing father and son to connect on more honest terms. So the livestream did not magically erase the past on its own; it worked because it prompted an immediate, affirming response from Voight at a moment when both men had already started trying to repair the relationship.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 12

James Haven said Jon Voight called repeatedly after his public coming out, then told him, “I finally know who you are,” in a conversation Haven described as affirming and surreal.
6 years of estrangement gave the call extra weight: Haven said he had felt undervalued by his father, but Voight’s reaction left him feeling seen, understood and loved.
An hour-long dinner had already reopened contact before the announcement, with Haven saying the two recently began repairing their relationship and Voight acknowledged past mistakes.
Haven, Angelina Jolie’s brother, came out during a livestream with ex-wife Romi Imbelli and said he hoped his family would choose love, understanding and connection over judgment.