Angelina Jolie's Kids Allegedly Urged Her to Speak Out During Grueling 8-Year Divorce Battle with Brad Pitt
Throughout the lengthy process of finalizing her divorce from her estranged husband, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie found support and encouragement from her six children to assert herself and speak up.
It took a total of eight years for the divorce to be officially signed off on Christmas Day.
An insider told PEOPLE, "She's been trying hard to be light after a dark time."
"The kids have grown up seeing that some people have so much power and privilege that their voices don't matter," the insider added. "Their pain doesn't count."
"They have wanted her to speak up for herself, to defend herself over these years but she reminds them to focus on changing laws over telling public stories," the insider continued.
The 49-year-old award-winning actress continues to hold primary custody of her two remaining underage children, 16-year-old fraternal twins named Vivienne and Knox.
Five of Jolie and Pitt's children have distanced themselves from him, particularly his daughters Zahara, Shiloh, and Vivienne. All three girls have decided to remove Pitt from their names as well.
The "Once Upon A Time in Hollywood" actor was said to have engaged in a physical confrontation with his son Maddox, 23, while on a private jet in 2016.
Subsequently, his son Pax, 21, publicly described him very negatively in a fiery outburst on Instagram.
In an interview with "Good Morning America" in November, Jolie revealed, "None of my children want to be in front of the camera at this time."
"They're quite private. Shiloh's extremely private," she said. "They weren't born with privacy, right? So I hope they can have that as they grow."
At one point, the duo famously referred to as "Brangelina" entered into marriage without a prenuptial agreement. Surprisingly, their official time as a married couple spanned only from 2014 to 2016, even though their love story began on the set of the spy movie "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" in 2004.
While their divorce has been settled, the former power couple is still in an ongoing legal battle concerning their 1,200-acre winery Château Miraval in Correns, France, where they exchanged vows. They dispute is now approaching its fourth year.
In 2011, Jolie and Pitt made a joint investment in a sprawling 35-room estate, acquiring it for $28.4 million. However, Pitt took legal action against Jolie in 2021 for selling her share of the property to the Stoli Group without his consent.
Initially, she had proposed a resolution. However, Jolie later withdrew her offer due to concerns regarding the compulsory non-disclosure agreement.
Another insider told PEOPLE, "Sadly, until [Pitt] drops his lawsuit, this family will not have the peace and healing they so very much desire and deserve."
A third source revealed the ongoing lawsuit is the "Maleficent" actress' way of punishing her ex, sharing, "Brad built an extraordinary, increasingly valuable business and she chose to deliberately disregard their agreement."
It was also alleged that Jolie "instead chose to sell to a total stranger not aligned with the company's vision so she could take the money for herself and punish him."
