Brad Pitt just had a major victory in his heated custody fight with Angelina Jolie. After months of back and forth, In Touch Weekly reports that Pitt now has unsupervised visits with his six children. Is this a sign that they are close to finalizing the divorce?
Pitt and Jolie agreed to a tight visitation schedule shortly after the actress filed for divorce in September. This included supervised visits for Pitt and allowing the kids to stay with Jolie while the divorce played out. This means that Jolie pretty much had complete control over the time and frequency that Pitt could see his six kids; Maddox (15), Pax (13), Zahara (12), Shiloh (10), and twins Knox and Vivienne (8).
That all changed with a new agreement. “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,” an insider revealed. “He’s recently had two different overnights with two kids without being monitored, and he’s hoping to have them for at least a week at a time by the end of February or early March.”
Despite the new freedom, Pitt still has a lot of work to do with his oldest sons, Maddox and Pax. Maddox was involved in an alleged confrontation with the World War Z star on a private plane this past summer. The incident led to an investigation of child abuse and is believed to have factored in Jolie’s decision to file for divorce.
The source explained that Maddox and Pax have not agreed to spend the night with Pitt, who is struggling to reach them. To make matters worse, Pitt hasn’t seen Jolie for months. They are, however, participating in therapy sessions to help with any unresolved issues.
“Their therapists’ goal is to get them to a place of acceptance of the situation so that they will be able to sit in the same room to work through those issues,” the insider claims. “Getting to the place where they have a healthy relationship will allow them to co-parent the kids.”
Plot twist! Get the latest on #BradPitt and #AngelinaJolie ‘s #custody battle —> https://t.co/XRlAdujYmD pic.twitter.com/PilEBKQClI
— In Touch Weekly (@intouchweekly) February 3, 2017
The new custody arrangement is still a big win for Brad Pitt, whose public image suffered in the early days of the split. According to Yahoo , the shift in public opinion has caused Jolie to rethink her strategy and even hire a publicist to transform her image.
Jolie previously admitted that she’s never liked having a publicist and is one of the few stars in Hollywood without one. Instead, the actress has relied on advice from political advisers, including Judy Smith, a crisis specialist, and Lady Arminka Helic, a member of the UK House of Lords.
While Jolie tries to overhaul her image, Screen Crush reports that Pitt just landed a new movie role . The Allied star is set to play a lead part in James Gray’s upcoming sci-fi film, Ad Astra . The role marks Pitt’s first movie set in space and comes after the news that the sequel to World War Z might get canceled.
At the same time, Hollywood Life is reporting that Jolie wants to adopt child number 7. Sources revealed that Jolie has wanted to expand her family for years but couldn’t get Pitt to agree. Despite their ongoing custody battle, Jolie thinks it’s a good time to adopt. What does Pitt think about adding a seventh kid to the brood?
“Brad’s worried what impact it will have on their kids,” an insider shared.
Pitt and Jolie have not commented on the latest rumors surrounding their divorce. They issued a joint statement last month about hiring a private judge, so it might be a while before they comment on anything related to the split.
Tell us! Are you surprised it took so long for Brad Pitt to see his children without a supervisor nearby? Let us know in the comments below.
[Featured Image by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images For Paramount]