‘I don’t want our kids in the spotlight’
He’s not impressed as Ange hits the publicity trail
It’s a rare sight to see all six of the Jolie-pitt children out together – not least because it’s a nightmare trying to fit them all in one car. But Angelina Jolie made it happen last week, when the entire family hit multiple red carpets, posing for the cameras as they helped their mum promote her new films, First They Killed My Father and The Breadwinner. But there’s one person who’s apparently not happy about it – their dad, Brad Pitt.
“Brad is not keen on Ange taking the kids to Hollywood events,” says an insider close to the 53-year-old actor, who has been locked in a bitter divorce battle with Ange, 42, since last September. The fiercest area of dispute has been over their children – Maddox, 16, Pax, 13, Zahara, 12, Shiloh, 11, and twins Knox and Vivienne, both nine – with Ange currently granted temporary full custody.
The source adds, “Brad worries that being in the spotlight is not always a good idea and could put extra pressure on the kids, which they don’t need. He’s argued that while Ange travels and promotes her films, the children could easily stay with him. But she would rather they were with her, and has told him that she is making sure she protects them and keeps them grounded. She believes it’s important for them to be with her.”
We’re told Ange’s new love of publicity is part of an attempt to fix her damaged image. In July, she did a tell-all interview with Vanity Fair, in which she portrayed herself as a busy single mum, but the public didn’t seem to buy in to that, so now she’s putting the kids front and centre. “Ange’s been seen a lot with her children,” says the insider. “While that is part of her responsibilities as a single parent, she also knows the kids make her look more sympathetic. Ange says they want to come to events with her, and it’s true that they do have an interest in films, but some friends worry they’ve also been under the glare of cameras their whole lives. But, she would never do anything that would cause them any distress and knows they do enjoy it.”
If there’s one thing Simon Cowell is good at, it’s creating drama between the X Factor judges – and it seems this year, Nicole Scherzinger is his main target. The head judge thinks tension between him, Nicole, Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne is a great way to entertain viewers, but poor Scherzy doesn’t see it that way.
“Nicole knows it’s all part of the X Factor process, but sometimes feels like she’s getting picked on – and it’s only going to get worse with the live shows,” says our insider. “She hates confrontation, and can be an easy target because she’s quite sensitive behind that big personality. Sometimes she forgets she’s going up against three much-older judges, all of whom have been doing this a lot longer than her.”
Nicole, 39, has already clashed with Sharon, 64, as she wanted the Overs category and was furious when she found out Mrs O had taken it. And Sharon admitted, “That’s what makes it so exciting.” Nicole’s also had conflict with Simon, after he kept repeating what she was saying and taking credit for it – which is why the former Pussycat Doll, who’s been dating tennis star Grigor Dimitriv, 26, for two years, has called in reinforcements. “She’s begged her boyfriend to come to the studio for extra support,” says heat’s insider. “She’s also got herself a huge entourage coming to the live shows, which includes friends and several of her personal assistants. She’s not taking this laying down.”
But if Nicole thinks that a couple of PAS can keep Simon from causing mischief, she’s sadly mistaken, because he knows what works. “Simon’s the ringmaster of everything,” adds the source. “He loves all the drama, and it’s working. Nicole can be very melodramatic, so Simon’s making sure to push all her buttons and get the most out of her. He’s told Louis and Sharon to be as naughty as they can this year, too.
“Ultimately, Simon will do absolutely whatever it takes to keep the show alive, and that means creating drama, tears and tantrums on the judging panel. He’s not going to stop until he gets what he wants – it’s definitely going to make for an interesting series.” n