Why Brad hasn’t seen his kids
It’s been almost 500 days since Brad Pitt was seen out in public with his six kids – and the shocking reason why has left Hollywood horrified.
It’s been revealed that relations between the A-list actor and his estranged wife Angelina Jolie – who filed for divorce in September 2016 – have become so bad, that the Tomb Raider star is ‘punishing him’ by making visitation schedules with their six children more difficult than ever.
While he’s seen the kids – Maddox, 16, Pax, 13, Zahara, 12, Shiloh, 11, and nine-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne – behind closed doors, difficulties with Ange have meant it’s been impossible for him to take them out and enjoy LA in 483 days.
‘Brad adores his children and he misses having them in his life 24/7,’ says an insider, adding Brad hasn’t been photographed with his kids since July 12, 2016.
‘But he’s in a weird limbo because of the squabbling going on between him and Angie. He doesn’t want bit part visits, two hours here, two hours there. He wants full, clear specific times where he can spend quality time with his kids. He’d like to see all of them together and he’d like to have one-on-one time. His kids are growing up fast and he’s missing it.
‘Angie’s playing hardball with him. She arranges these visits on a whim and it’s driving him nuts. It’s on her schedule, not his. He does see them every couple of weeks, but for him that’s not enough.
‘Angie knows exactly what she’s doing. This is her way of punishing him. He’s basically screwed and she knows he can’t make too many waves. She’s got a lot on him and what she’s got could fill a dozen dossiers. She’s got this one-track mind. It’s her way or no way at all. She can be tough, but she’s very protective of those kids.
‘It’s a bizarre limbo that revolves around money and arrangements, and Angie’s keeping Brad guessing and tortured in the meantime.’
While their messy divorce had turned a corner just months ago, with sources saying they were on good terms and even hoping for a reconciliation – it seems things have taken a turn for the worse.
Now Brad, 53, is going public with claims he endured ‘12 years of hell’ during his relationship with 42-year-old Ange, giving a shocking new insight into what went wrong in the marriage.
‘At first he was devastated [about the divorce], but he’s seeing things from a different perspective now, and realising this was all for the best,’ a source told Star magazine. ‘He says it was 12 years of hell.
‘In hindsight, they really had nothing in common besides great sex. He stays up nights going over what happened, and he’s analysed it in therapy. He realises his relationship with Ange was toxic from the start.’
The report goes on to reveal Brad turned to alcohol to escape the unhappiness of his marriage – resulting in the now-famous drunken fight aboard a private plane with his family last September that sparked the split.
‘He dealt with his unhappiness by drinking heavily,’ the source told Star. ‘Brad’s demons got a hold of him. That disastrous plane ride was the result of years of pent-up frustration. Even his friends noticed a change in him – there was a weariness there, like he had given up. In the end, they were living separate lives and making each other miserable.
‘He’s finally feeling like his old self again. His marriage to Angie was tough, and the divorce was even worse. But he’s come out the other side and can’t wait to see what the future holds.’ NI