Brad Pitt Steps Out With Marion Cotillard After Being Cleared In Child Abuse Allegations, Thanks Fans For Support

Hours after the Department of Children and Family Services cleared him of child abuse, Brad Pitt stepped out for his first red carpet appearance in months. While Pitt spent a lot of time chatting with fans and signing autographs, the stress from his divorce with Angelina Jolie was clearly evident in his appearance.

Daily Mail released photos from Pitt’s first red carpet outing since breaking up with Angelina Jolie. Pitt was joined on the red carpet by his Allied co-star Marion Cotillard and expressed his thanks for how fans have supported him throughout the past few months.

“It’s really sweet, everyone has been really kind out here,” he stated. “It’s really nice to have all the support.”

Pitt wore a black suit for the occasion but decided against wearing a tie. The actor’s hair was cut short, and it looked like Pitt had lost a lot of weight since his last public appearance.

Cotillard walked the carpet with Pitt and donned a blue dress complete with gorgeous diamond earrings. The two posed together on several occasions and didn’t hesitate to smile for the cameras. Julia Roberts also attended the even with Pitt, who declined to give any interviews at the premiere.

Pitt has actively avoided giving lengthy interviews since his split with Jolie. In fact, the divorce might even rob Pitt of an Oscar nomination for his part in Allied, especially considering the rumors about his affair with Cotillard.

“This was supposed to be the start of a big campaign push for Brad to finally win an acting Oscar but there’s too much controversy for him to risk any publicity,” an inside source revealed. “It also doesn’t help that there were rumors he had an affair with his co-star Marion Cotillard, which both deny.”

Cotillard is currently in a relationship with Guillaume Canet. The couple has dated since 2007 and are expecting their second child. Despite Cotillard’s healthy family life, rumors of an affair continue to persist.

To combat the bad press, Brad Pitt’s team is taking an aggressive stance and won’t allow the media to ask questions about his personal life. They almost denied him the chance to walk the red carpet and are encouraging him to stay out of the spotlight until things cool down.

“They know it’s important he been seen to support the film but this is a huge crisis for him and the current tactic is to lie low. If he does appear, he’ll not say a word to any media and sneak in a side door,” the insider explained.

Jolie and Pitt were married for two years before the divorce. They had six children together – Maddox (15), Pax (12), Zahara (11), Shiloh (10), and twins Vivienne and Knox (8). On filing the divorce, Jolie requested full physical custody of the children.

According to Us Magazine, Pitt’s fight for joint custody was stalled when reports surfaced that he was physically abusive to Maddox in a private plane. The World War Z star was placed under an investigation and agreed to only visit the kids with a therapist watching.

TMZ broke the news that Pitt was just cleared of all the allegations of child abuse. With the rumors of child abuse now behind him, Pitt is doing the best he can to fight for joint custody, which includes filing official court documents.

According to Radar Online, Pitt and Jolie have agreed to a custody plan that includes regular visits for Pitt and counseling sessions for the children. While the plan contains some restrictions for Pitt, the couple agreed that the most important thing moving forward is the well-being of their children.

“We can confirm that childcare professionals have encouraged a legal agreement accepted and signed by both sides over a week ago,” a rep of Jolie stated. “In accordance with this agreement, the six children will stay in their mother’s custody, and the children will continue therapeutic visits with their father. This has been determined by childcare professionals to be in the children’s best interest. We are not in a position to discuss the details. We hope now that it is clear that the events which led to the dissolution filing involved minor children and their wellbeing, there will be understanding of the sensitivity of the family situation. We believe that all sides are committed to healing the family and ask for your consideration during this difficult time.”

The agreement follows what has been a rough month for Pitt and the family. After the split, Jolie kept close tabs on the children and refused to allow Pitt joint custody “until he gets his s**t together.”

Now that Pitt has been cleared and isn’t under investigation, fans can expect the divorce proceedings to move forward. Whether or not this means that Pitt will win joint custody is yet to be seen.

[Featured Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]