Celeb Kids
Brad Pitt Sees His Kids, but Not Nearly as Much as Ex Angelina Jolie Does!
It’s no secret Angelina Jolie has been enjoying custody of her children — Maddox, 16, Pax, 14, Zahara, 13, Shiloh, 11, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 9 — but does her soon-to-be-ex-husband Brad Pitt see the kids, too? From what In Touch‘s informants have told the news outlet over the past year and a half, it sounds like the War Machine actor’s visitations are few and far between.
Brad and Angelina’s divorce proceedings have been nothing short of savage, by all reports, but we almost got a ceasefire. Earlier this month, a Life & Style source said the exes were “days away from signing off on their [divorce and custody agreement]” and Brad “was looking forward to spending a large amount of quality time with the kids this coming summer.” But then Angie “suddenly reversed course,” thinking “Brad was pushing too hard to resolve the situation to his benefit [and] she was losing control.” The source added, “It’s quickly gone from amicable to hostile and sparked a new war over the kids.”
And what a long and tenuous road it’s been so far. Brad and Angelina’s custody battle began as soon as they announced their split in September 2016. Brad requested joint custody of the kids, but Angelina decided to give him only monitored visitation “until he gets his s–t together,” as a source told In Touch.
The California Department of Children and Family Services reportedly investigated the actor for abuse claims but found no evidence to support the allegations. “The goal is to bring the family back together and move forward with a plan of healing,” a source told In Touch at the time. “Counseling will definitely be among the recommendations, along with co-parenting classes for Brad and Angie.”
But then Angelina blocked her ex from visiting the kids that Thanksgiving, a source revealed to In Touch. “Brad was extremely upset, obviously, and recognizes it’s just another one of Angie’s ways of punishing him,” the insider said.
The holiday rancor continued that Christmas, since Angelina wasn’t happy with the kids’ Dec. 25 trip to their dad’s place. “After being told that the kids were cleared to visit Brad at his house she tried to change the terms and have the visit at her home,” a source revealed to In Touch. “But she was firmly told no. And that made her furious.”
Then came disagreements over kids’ education and Brad’s child support payments, even as Brad recommitted to his fatherly duties. “He’s become a much more prominent figure in the kids’ lives, and they seem to be doing a lot better now that things have calmed down,” a source told In Touch in February 2017. He even got an overnight visit with all six kids that April.
Meanwhile, the stress of solo parenthood reportedly got Angelina stressed out. “It’s a house of horrors,” a source said of the house she bought for herself and the kids. “[It’s] a cross between a trashed frat house and a DayGlo-covered rave club.”
And though Brad was “chomping at the bit to get more custody” this Christmas, his quality time with the kids “never quite materialized,” sources told In Touch at the time. “Angie and Brad are still playing tug-of-war with their kids,” one explained. “Because they’re not officially divorced yet, Angie’s in the driver’s seat when it comes to getting the children for the holidays, and she’s taking full advantage of that.”
Brad did get quality time with his brood in January, and ex-wife Jennifer Aniston met the kids by happenstance, a source reported. “It was a momentous day,” the insider told In Touch. “The kids knew who Jen was and were familiar with her from TV and magazine photos, but they treated her like a normal friend of their father’s.”
And that brings us to this latest exchange of fire in the custody battle. With Angelina’s reported change of heart, it might be months or years before the former spouses and co-stars reach a settlement. Consider us buckled in for the long haul.
