this is "nightline." >> tonight, the breaking news. chaos in charlotte. a state of emergency declared. protesters confronting police, throwing bolts and fireworks. police firing flash grenades and tear bass into the crowd. anger reaching a boiling point over the fatal police shooting plus pitt split. will the end of the mat that mown between mr. and mrs. smith be the beginning of a bitter custody battle? the surprising divorce filings that reportedly have brad devastated. and believing in magic. >> i will have to retire from the lakers. >> almost 25 years after his shocking announcement, magic johnson's loyal wife cookie speaking out about the heartbreaking moment when she

started crying. >> why she chose to stay with the nba superstar and how they came to terms with their own son's sexuality. first here the "nightline 5." ? ? >> take on any road with intuitive all-wheel drive. the nissan rogue, morano and pathfinder. get 0% apr for 72 months plus $500 bonus cash. >> number one coming up in just

out of charlotte, north carolina, tonight. we're seeing a second night of violent protests in the wake of the fatal police shooting of a black man. angry crowds marching through the city tonight. at least one officer injured and one protester on life support after being shot in the head, police say, by another civilian. as we saw last night, the protests started peacefully but then devolved into looting and violence. all of this in reaction to the fatal police shooting of keith scott on tuesday. it happened o apartment complex in charlotte where police had come to serve a warrant on one of the tenants. they say keith scott emerged from a car holding a gun, which is when they shot him. his family has contested that story and tonight his wife has issued a statement calling for calm. we'll have much more first thing in the morning on gma. we turn now to a headline of a very different variety. the hollywood power couple and the supplies split.

impending divorce of brad pitt and angelina jolie pitt. >> reporter: it's the a-list divorce everyone can't stop talking about. >> angelina jolie has filed for divorce from brad pitt -- >> everybody thought this couple would go the distance. >> leaving everyone totally stunned. >> reporter: brad pitt and angelina jolie going their separate ways after 12 years together. jolie filing divorce papers monday citing irreconcilable differences. a far cry from what she was saying about brad six >> he's of course the love of my life, yeah. six children, we're absolutely sure of that. >> reporter: apparently sure no more. the hollywood power couple's surprising news catching close friend george clooney off guard during this cnn interview. >> i didn't know that. wow. i feel very sorry. they're -- that's -- that's a sad story. unfortunate for a family. >> reporter: jolie's famous father jon voigt with this -- >> it's a sad time and i'm concerned about the kids.

for the "mr. and mrs. smith" costars. their fairy tale now over. >> you think the story's going to have a happy ending? >> happy endings are stories that haven't finished yet. >> reporter: in this 11-page court document jolie citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. she doesn't ask for child or spousal support. but does ask for physical custody of the couple's six children. with the soon to be ex only allowed visitation rights. this decision was made for the health of the family. >> the fact that her filing includes the request for sole physical custody is absolutely eyebrow-raising from where a lot of legal experts sit. those are fighting words. >> reporter: the actor releasing this statement in the latest issue of "people" magazine saying, i am very saddened by this but what matters most now is the well-being of our kids." >> brad quite honestly is

is with his children who truly mean everything to him. >> i said you were beautiful. >> reporter: speculation swirling that the end may have been hastened because pitt's chemistry with french actress marion cotillard on the set of "allied" may not have been all acting. >> what are you doing? >> testing you the way you tested me. >> reporter: tonight, cotillard slamming the rumors on instagram saying, "many years ago i met the man expecting. reis my love, my best friend, the only one that i need. i do very much wish that angelina and brad, both of whom i deeply respect, will find peace in this very tumultuous moment." questions looming over what's next for the couple's six children. all of this a departure from that perfect couple that many came to know and love. >> come to daddy. >> reporter: it began as many

jolie and pitt reportedly falling in love while filming "mr. and mrs. smith." >> who's your daddy now? >> reporter: the only hitch, pitt at the time was still married to jennifer aniston. the world watched as that perfect aniston/pitt marriage fell apart. aniston telling "vanity fair" in 2005 that pitt made some choices that have been tremendously insensitive. >> this split is unfortunately the outside world, just another chapter in a fascinating soap opera. a soap opera that began with jennifer aniston and brad pitt, that cast angelina as some sort of a homewrecker before she was transformed into a saint. but like with all soap opera, that's an exaggeration. >> reporter: fans forced to choose sides. pitt denying jolie had anything to do with his divorce. >> did angelina jolie break up your marriage? >> no. >> everyone says she's a

>> it's a good story. >> reporter: putting the tabloids behind them, brangelina seemingly galloped off into the sunset. relentlessly trailed by paparazzi. pitt eventually adopting jolie's children before expanding their family. >> he's better at making eggs and bacon than i am. i try but i think everybody prefers dad's eggs and bacon. somebody brushing their teeth, somebody put that down, stop screaming, you have to wear that jacket i can't find the pink one, please just go out the able to do it because we manage to have a great laugh. we do it together and we find fun in it. >> reporter: the couple finally tying the knot two years ago in a memorable family affair at their chateau in france. jolie legally changing her name to jolie-pitt. >> it was an amazing day. and i think it's -- there's an added security that comes with it. >> i'm a strong believer that

things are the same. the way you approach the world is the same. not just your love of art but your sense of what is right and wrong and your sense of the commitment your children need from you. >> what's cooking, good-looking? >> reporter: family didn't slow down hollywood's busiest couple. the two starring in a second film together, a passion project of jolie which she wrote and directed called "by the sea." >> stop! stop! >> reporter: the couple's rocks marriage perhaps foreshadowing a case of life imitating art. their lives now intricately bound through home life and business. "forbes" reporting the couple has made more than $500 million combined. together they own the wine company miraval and estates around the globe. >> they were married in california. so california is a community property state. and so by and large, things are split down the middle. they have a lot of homes.

>> anybody who's married or in a long-term relationship knows you cannot just keep things in and you can't play it safe. >> reporter: it seems in hollywood, no marriage is safe. some joke it's jennifer aniston who's getting the last laugh. today's mocking "new york post" cover seems to say it all. aniston of course not publicly commenting, but her loyal friend chelsea handler poking fun. >> brad and angelina always sai everyone could get married. and i always said i wouldn't get married until they got divorced. so i'm officially accepting proposals. >> reporter: a sea change in hollywood, no doubt. and for this couple, a less than happy ending. for "nightline," i'm matt gutman in los angeles. up next, she found out he was hiv positive just months after they married. a rare interview tonight with

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tonight you're going to hear from somebody who rarely speaks in public. cookie johnson, wife of magic johnson. she's been with him since

even after he announced he was hiv positive. why? the couple sat down with abc's robin roberts. >> look at where you came from and what you have accomplished together. >> he does that all the time. he's like, can you believe we've come this far? >> reporter: nba hall of famer magic johnson is much more than a legendary sports figure. over the past three decades, he's become an inspirational icon. and all along the way his wife cookie johnson has side. through triumphant highs and devastating lows. >> a marriage is a journey. sometimes along the way things will happen. don't be so afraid and run from it right away. you have to keep working at it. just remember that the base of that relationship has to be love. >> reporter: college sweethearts, cookie and magic johnson met while attending michigan state. magic, already a basketball star on campus, and cookie, a humble young woman from detroit studying for a career in the

relationship would face its share of challenges, including two broken engagements. >> emotionally how difficult was it for you, the ups and downs during that time? >> very difficult. it was a huge roller coaster ride. when you love somebody but then it doesn't work out, you know. it's back and forth. looking back on it, i think that it was a growing experience for both of us. >> reporter: the public has rarely heard from cookie. until now. with the release of her new memoir >> that's why this book is so important. cookie has always said, hey, that's your life. i don't want to be in the spotlight. you do your thing, then you come home. now with her telling her life story, her journey in life, is really empowering to a lot of other women. >> reporter: the couple recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in style. but it was this announcement in 1991, just 45 days into their

beyond. >> because of the hiv virus, i will have to retire from the lakers. >> i think the most difficult part of that whole situation was not me going through it but waiting -- first driving home to tell her. probably the hardest thing of my life i had to do. because, you know, i love her so much. and we've been through so much. and we just got married. and now here this comes. >> and we had just found out that i was pregnant. >> pregnant. >> reporter: behind closed and away from the spotlight, the couple struggled to come to terms with their new reality. >> we both fell on our knees and started crying. he said, if you want to leave, i don't blame you, i understand. and then i said, are you kidding me? no, i love you. >> you never wavered with that? >> no. because you know, even though it was hiv and possibly he caught it, you know, having sex with somebody else, whatever -- all those things didn't matter at that time. >> reporter: cookie tells me

magic phoning his former sexual partners. >> he was being responsible and contacting these women. but how was it for you? >> no, it was -- it was hard. you know, i was like -- who is he calling? why is he in there so long? calling so many people? yeah. it was -- that was a difficult day. >> reporter: but what mattered most to both of them was the health of their unborn child. >> you had to be tested? >> yeah. then of course i was scared then finally the results came in. what they told me was that if the mother is negative, then the baby is automatically negative. >> reporter: the couple made it their mission to educate themselves and the world. >> and we got to remember, this is 1991. everybody thought, death sentence. and there was backlash. >> yeah. >> you thought you could not play ball anymore. >> right. >> how did you all find as a family that strength to say, we're going to fight?

god let me know yes married her. because losing her, i probably wouldn't be here. i'd probably be dead. >> reporter: today magic is living a healthy life. and together the couple has raised three children. andre, alisa, and ejay, now famous for his role on the e! reality series "rich kids of beverly hills." >> hello, welcome! >> reporter: cookie writes candidc candidly about come to terms with ejay being gay. >> you watched him playing with dolls and shielded him from magic in the beginning? >> it was a matter of, let's do this over by ourselves, you can do this and be happy, and we won't bother daddy with it because he doesn't like it. i also knew earvin didn't understand. and i was still trying to figure it out. i'm not going to say i understood he was gay at that time, because i didn't. >> you were very honest that you had a tough conversation with him about it.

ask th and then you changed and apologized to him for some of the things that you had said to him. >> i had to come to realize that this is who he is. and he's going to be happy. and so why am i judging him? why am i -- i'm his father. i knew he was looking for me to accept who he was. and i had to get out of my own way. right? and my macho, the whole -- >> and he couldn't let me tell him, you know. he had to come to himself. >> myself. >> reporter: their bond now closer than ever. >> he has a combination of both of us. the soul comes from her. he's very intelligentand his mindset is like his dad's. that's what i love about him. so we're blessed. >> ultimately i pray to god, and he was like, love. love your child. and that's what i got. and that's what i'm doing. because you know, that's what jesus was about. was love. >> love is love.

>> reporter: for "nightline," i'm robin roberts in los angeles. next, how they got carrie underwood, tim mcgraw, luke bryan, and dolly parton in the same music video. "forever country" after the break. ? i will always love you ? [ "on the road again," by willie nelson ] ? on the road again ? [ rear alert sounds ] [ music stops ] [ front assist sounds ] [ music stops ] [ girl laughs ] ? on the road again ? ? like a band of gypsies we go down the highway ? [ beetle horn honks ] no matter which passat you choose, you get more standard features, for less than you expected. hurry in and lease the 2017 passat s for just $199 a month. i'm claudine and i quit smoking with chantix.

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finally tonight, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the country music association awards with what may be the most elaborate star-studded memory. the biggest stars in country music. >> it's just a celebration of great music, great artists, great talent, great songs. >> carrie underwood. tim mcgraw. luke bryan. just to name a few. and the pack of artists sieging along on "forever country." the medley, a mashup of three country music classics.

>> all three songs were just huge records across the board. >> john denver's "take me home country road." ? country roads take me home ? >> willie nelson's "on the road again." ? on the road again ? >> and dolly parton's "i will always love you ? >> just to be included on the same list as people like dolly parton, it's incredible. >> naturally, the queen of country ? will always love you ? >> and you can see the cmas right here on abc. thank you for watching abc news tonight. join us for gma first thing in the morning. as always we're onliar 24/7 at abcnews.com and on our "nightline" facebook page. thanks again for watching and

coming to you from hollywood, almost live, comics unleashed. with your host, byron allen. to knit, he welcomes carolyn rhea and marlin williams. and now, the hilton ever told, let's just be friends, byron allen. >> all right, say hello to dj