Brad Pitt makes surprise appearance at Golden Globes awards

The actor introduced a clip from Moonlight, a film which he helped produce and which went on to win the Best Motion Picture in the Drama category

The speech prompted a loud round of applause from Hollywood stars in the audience (Getty)

There was very little Hollywood’s golden couple, known by their shared moniker of “Brangelina”, could do to deflect incessant media attention after they announced their breakup. From Madam Tussauds physically ripping their wax figure replicas of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt apart to the Dalai Lama weighing in on the furore, everybody wanted a piece of the pie.

For this reason, Pitt and Jolie have both tended to steer clear of the limelight since the news Jolie was filing for a divorce emerged last September. As such, Pitt's appearance at the Golden Globes last night left many in the audience surprised.

The 53-year-old took to the stage to introduce a clip from Moonlight, a film which he helped produce and which went on to win the Best Motion Picture in the Drama category.

“It’s born of the courage of a group of actors willing to strip to their souls and express their humanism inside mistake and misstep and misdeed,” he said of the film, during his first awards season appearance since his split from wife and fellow actor Jolie.

“It is Barry Jenkins profound belief that we all stand at the threshold of change and forgiveness where we only grant acceptance and love to ourselves”.

The speech prompted a loud round of applause from Hollywood stars in the audience.

“Apparently Brad Pitt got custody of the Hollywood friends in his divorce from Maleficent,” journalist Tony Bravo noted on Twitter, alluding to a role played by Jolie.

Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in September, citing irreconcilable differences, and requested physical custody of their children Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10 and eight-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

Pitt and Jolie have a voluntary temporary custody agreement in place that allows Pitt supervised visitation with the children. Since October, he has had weekly supervised visits with the children, according to a court filing by Jolie.

The pair officially got together in 2006 after appearing on Mr and Mrs Smith together and then married at Chateau Miraval in the French village of Correns in 2014.