After a lengthy and costly divorce that began in 2016, a judge has awarded actor Brad Pitt joint custody of his children with actress Angelina Jolie. The ruling comes after Angelina Jolie pleaded with the judge to have her kids testify in court.
“Angelina Jolie criticized a judge who is deciding on child custody in her divorce with Brad Pitt, saying in a court filing that the judge refused to allow their children to testify,” reported The Associated Press. “Jolie, who has sought to disqualify Judge John Ouderkirk from the divorce case, said in the filing Monday that he declined to hear evidence she says is relevant to the children’s safety and well-being before issuing a tentative ruling. The documents don’t elaborate on what that evidence may be.”
“The actress also said the judge ‘has failed to adequately consider’ a section of the California courts code, which says it is detrimental to the best interest of the child if custody is awarded to a person with a history of domestic violence,” the report continued. “Her filing did not give details about what it was referring to, but her lawyers submitted a document under seal in March that purportedly offers additional information.”
A source close to Brad Pitt praised the judge’s ruling, saying the actor only wanted to spend more time with his kids.
“Mostly all [Brad] wanted was to see his kids and that was the whole point,” a source told Fox News.
“Brad has always been seeking the opportunity to have more time with his children and prioritized their well-being while the other side did everything to try and stop that,” the source added.
In 2014, LGBT enthusiasts hailed the two parents as “heroes” for treating their five-year-old daughter as a boy after she insisted they see her as such. According to various leftist sites, including The Advocate, the now-divorced couple reportedly supported their eight-year-old daughter Shiloh’s “decision” to both wear suits and be referred to by the name “John.”
As far back as 2008, when Shiloh stood at age two, Pitt told Oprah that she insisted on being called “John.” His words were echoed in 2010 when Angelina Jolie told Vanity Fair “[Shiloh] wants to be a boy, so we had to cut her hair. She likes to wear boys’ everything. She thinks she’s one of the brothers.”
In 2018, after being in a hotly contested divorce for two years, a source close to the family said it took a severe emotional toll on them. The divorce would continue for nearly another three years.
“The last two years of their lives have been very difficult and stressful,” a source close to the couple told E! News in November 2018. “The kids are aware of what’s going on. They’re old enough to get it” and “it hasn’t been good for anyone.”
“Their family as they knew it was torn apart,” the source continued, “and it’s going to take a lot of time and therapy to try and make sense of it all and get back on track. Brad doesn’t know what the long-term effects are.”