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Brad Pitt‘s got a new lease on life after admittedly overcoming “struggles.” The actor, who recently opened up on the “New Heights” podcast about facing obstacles with perseverance, is ready to put the past behind him as he’s learned from his mistakes when it comes to parenthood and marriage.
“The divorce is something that had been controlling his life for so many years,” an insider exclusively tells Us Weekly of his split from Angelina Jolie. “He loved her and he knows he made mistakes.”
“It was such a divisive, toxic situation,” the source adds of the drama that surrounded their divorce.
Pitt, 61, and Jolie, 50, began dating in 2004 and tied the knot 10 years later. They initially announced their split in 2016. The former couple’s divorce was finalized in December 2024, eight years after Jolie initially filed.
The F1 actor and Jolie share six kids: Maddox, 23, Pax, 21, Zahara, 20, Shiloh, 19, and 16-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox. Pitt’s relationships with his children became strained as he and Jolie legally battled it out in court over custody in the years following her divorce filing.
The insider notes that the events leading up to the split and the aftermath “turned the kids against him as well” but that Pitt “doesn’t blame [Jolie] for everything.”
While under the public gaze, Pitt’s kids have seemingly made it clear where they stand. Shiloh legally filed to have Pitt dropped from her last name in August 2024, while Zahara and Vivienne appear to also only go by the last name Jolie. Pax and Maddox have also both been candid about distancing themselves from their dad.
Pitt, who has been dating Ines de Ramon since 2022, also hopes to one day move forward with his children after legally ending this chapter with Jolie.
The actor’s “biggest regret is he can’t repair this,” the source says.
“The case is over but there are no winners,” the insider says.
“To have that behind him is a relief. But on the other hand, it’s been hard for him because he doesn’t have a great relationship with his kids.”
The source says that Pitt’s sobriety journey has played a large part in the Oscar winner turning over a new leaf after years of strain with his children and ex-wife.
“Ever since he stopped drinking, everything has changed,” the insider shares.
However, Jolie “is still not in a place where she is going to forgive him or ever will.”
Pitt candidly opened up about his sobriety and attending Alcoholics Anonymous group meetings when he was at his lowest point.
“I was trying anything and everyone, anything anyone threw at me. It was a difficult time. I needed rebooting,” he said during the June 23 episode of Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast. “I needed to wake the f*** up in some areas.”
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For Pitt, the AA experience was life-changing, as it allowed him to admit his faults in a vulnerable way.
“But everyone was so open. It gives you permission in a way to go, ‘OK, I’m going to step out on this edge and see what happens.’ And then I really grew to love it,” he continued.
The insider maintains that Pitt is “relieved that this [divorce] is over, but the lasting impact is something he’s going to live with forever.”
English (US) ·