What Will Happen To Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt's Kids?
One of the most heartbreaking aspects of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's divorce is the fact that they have six kids together, all of whom are old enough to at least somewhat understand that their parents are splitting up. What will happen to 15-year-old Maddox, 12-year-old Pax, 11-year-old Zahara, 10-year-old Shiloh, and 8-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne when the divorce is done? Here are a few ways it could go down.
Angelina wants full custody
TMZ reports that Jolie is fighting for full physical custody of their kids, granting Pitt visitation and legal custody only. Sources told TMZ Jolie was concerned over Pitt's alleged abuse of alcohol and marijuana, as well as his alleged "anger issues," though it's unspecified what those issues entailed. A source said, "His interactions with the kids created a deal-breaking problem for her."
An insider told Us Weekly, "An incident took place and prompted [Angelina] to act and file." The source wouldn't go into detail except to say the incident "affected the entire family...[Jolie] still says Brad is the love of her life, and the decision has weighed heavy on her heart. Her priority now is the children."
As for the legal process to gain full physical custody, it may not work out in Jolie's favor. "She will argue the children are better off with her and a judge will make a decision after listening to the kids," divorce attorney Alexander Orlofsky told Us Weekly. "It's highly unusual to get this granted unless there is some major reason."
Brad is fighting for joint custody
Sources close to Pitt told TMZ that Jolie's assertion that he's a bad father is a "malicious lie," adding, "He's a loving and devoted father who has never and would never put his children in any dangerous situation." As for Jolie gaining sole custody, a Pitt insider told TMZ, "There's no chance that's going to happen," noting, "[Pitt] doesn't want to interfere with Angelina's ability to be a co-parent, but he won't allow her to thwart him."
According to a source for People, "sole custody for either of them doesn't seem like what's best for the children. Brad thinks Angelina is a great mother, but he is also a great father. There is no way he is going to be absent for any part of his kids' lives."
It's unclear where the kids will live
Orlofsky explained to Us Weekly that a judge will hear both sides, then talk to the children before deciding where the tykes will live. The couple share several properties: Chateau Miraval in France, which they purchased in 2008 and where they married in 2014; a mansion in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles; and a New York City apartment adjacent to the Waldorf-Astoria. Pitt is said to also be looking at new properties in New Orleans after recently selling their home in the French Quarter.
Angelina may be using the press to her advantage
Lainey Gossip points out that media-savvy Jolie (and her equally media-savvy attorney, Laura Wasser) released the news of the divorce on a Tuesday after the Emmy Awards, when chatter about the Emmys was done and people would be paying attention, but after most weekly magazine cover deadlines. Typically, divorce news is dropped on Friday afternoons (especially near holiday weekends) when people are less likely to make it go viral.
The gossip site also claims Jolie focused on Pitt's allegedly poor parenting to distract from the narrative Page Six perpetuated—that Pitt cheated on her with Marion Cotillard—because Jolie doesn't want a reputation as a "jilted woman," and she doesn't want to dredge up the manner in which her relationship with Pitt began (when he allegedly cheated on then-wife Jennifer Aniston with her.) Despite the timing, those karmic connections still played out on the cover of the New York Post and in countless Aniston-themed memes.
Brad thinks the publicity is endangering the kids
Pitt is worried that Jolie's manipulation of the press is putting their children at risk. TMZ reports that the actor is "furious" with his soon-to-be-ex-wife for making their family an even bigger paparazzi target than before. Their Los Angeles home is reportedly surrounded by photographers and reporters, and the LAPD has had to patrol the area regularly to contain the fracas. According to the tab, Pitt wanted to handle the split "like adults" and keep it low key for the sake of the kids.
Their parenting styles differ
Depending on what the children and the courts decide, the kids lives at home could vary dramatically.
Pitt told The Telegraph in November 2015, "I am [the disciplinarian] with the boys. Girls do no wrong, so I don't have to be...I feel like my job is to show 'em around, help them find what they want to do with their life, put as many things in front of them, and pull them back when they get out of line, so they know who they are."
Jolie told OK! magazine (via Slate) in March 2012, "I used to be the tougher parent but since the birth of the twins, Brad's had to play bad cop more often. It also depends on which of the children we're talking about...I think I'm a little closer to the girls, maybe, but he's always making them laugh." She also previously claimed he was sometimes perhaps a better parent than she was, telling The Mirror in 2014 (via E! News), "Brad is a wonderful teacher and guide, for the boys in particular. He likes to plan things and proceed in a very deliberate and methodical way. He is much cooler and calmer...I can be more impulsive and outspoken."
They may not go to court over this
New York-based attorney Jacqueline Newman told People that the couple likely won't take financial matters to court, which would spare their kids a lot of trauma. "I would be somewhat surprised if there wasn't some kind of prenuptial agreement," Newman said. "I would think that the financial aspects of the divorce are probably not going to be as difficult. They were only married in August of 2014...it was actually a very short marriage. My guess is that they are going to take the high road and settle this case out of the courts." A source told People, "This will ideally be resolved, amicably, long before any sort of legal battle ensues."