SHOCK REASON ANGELINA’S CALLED A TRUCE
Just when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were about to come face to face in court – following two years of acrimonious negotiations that threatened to outlive even the Brexit talks – news broke last week that they had finally settled the custody battle over their six children, Maddox, 17, Pax, 14, Zahara, 13, Shiloh, 12, and 10-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.
According to US reports, Brad was awarded less than 50% custody, but his time with the children will be increased in stages. It means Angelina will be ‘primary caregiver’, with sources telling one outlet that the exact split in custody will be decided once the couple settle their finances – the next stage of their difficult divorce. Grazia understands that, despite denials from her camp, Angelina had requested sole custody of the children.
So why the sudden outbreak of peace? Multiple sources claim the pair were keen to broker an agreement for the sake of their children. But according to another associate, that’s not the only reason. The mounting cost of their divorce was also a significant factor. ‘It’s cost them a staggering $50m in pay-offs and legal fees that are still pouring in,’ said a source last week. ‘ They simply could not afford to go on the way they were. Ultimately, they both had to face the reality that this divorce was going to ruin them unless they drew a line in the sand and hashed out an agreement.’
Indeed, it has previously been noted that the divorce had the potential to sink Angelina’s finances. As one source put it, Angelina ‘ran out of cash and was surviving on loans in the end’. Brad is far wealthier – he is estimated to be worth $240m, while Angelina’s fortune is valued at $160m. ‘Brad has more because he has so much invested in his film production company, Plan B, which produces huge blockbusters,’ said the Hollywood insider. ‘Ange, however, has been very much focused on indie flicks and passion projects. She’s only doing big roles like Maleficent every couple of years to boost her earnings.’ This summer, it was revealed that Brad had even loaned Angelina $8m for a new family home, on which she is said to be paying interest.
In the two years since she filed for divorce, Angelina has also had to pay Hollywood’s top divorce lawyer, Laura Wasser (until she sensationally quit earlier this year), and hire a publicist for the first time in her career. LA divorce attorney Kelly Chang Rickert added, ‘It’s not unusual for a celebrity divorce lawyer to charge upwards of $2,500 an hour. This case has lasted over two years and has been extremely contested. That’s why she is struggling financially.’ The private judge the couple hired, Kelly continued, could also cost between $850 and $1,200 an hour, on top of nannies, private jets and therapists for the children.
While the custody deal has now been put to bed, sources say the next round of negotiations, about their shared assets, could be just as punishing. ‘ There’s $240m at stake,’ said a well-placed source. ‘From the get-go, Ange wanted to have full custody of the kids and appeared willing to forgo Brad’s fortune if she could get her way, so she never even requested child support. But now that things haven’t gone how she wanted, her team is working out what they can get financially. ’
Château Miraval, the couple’s home in France, remains ‘high on the list of contentious community property’, with Angelina apparently ‘feeling it should go to her, as it was her idea to buy it in the first place’.
‘ The negotiations will drag on into Christmas and the new year,’ added an insider. ‘Because, despite an outward show of peace, things are nowhere near that simple yet.’