Since his very messy public break-up from Angelina Jolie in 2016, Brad Pitt has remained tight-lipped, speaking through his lawyer against abuse claims and court cases to work out custody of their six kids.
Now an insider tells Woman’s Day that after more than eight long years of fighting and tension, Brad could be ready to break his silence with a tell-all – that among other revelations, will shed light on all that’s happened since his tumultuous split from second wife Angelina.
“Brad will be able to pick and choose who interviews him, where and when,” a source says.
“He loves the idea of doing an in-depth profile TV sit-down interview with someone like Oprah or even bringing someone like Ellen DeGeneres back for a one-off. It just has to be someone he trusts and in a prerecorded format that gives him some control, because the last thing he wants is to land back in court.”
There’s also the option of putting out a memoir, which Brad has “talked about doing on and off for years”.
“Brad’s been keeping a journal since early on in his career, but as part of his therapy in recent years he’s found it very cathartic,” the source reveals.
“It’s helped him process some of the bumps in the road since his split from Angelina.”
‘BOOZING TOO MUCH’
The year after Brange’s shock separation, the actor, 60, spoke candidly to GQ, acknowledging his past drinking problem and his dedication to sobriety.
“Even this last year, you know – things I wasn’t dealing with,” he said. “I was boozing too much. It’s just become a problem.”
But aside from a legal denial, Brad hasn’t spoken publicly about Ange’s allegations he physically abused her and one of their children on a private plane in 2016 – the catalyst for her filing for divorce.
Though Brad was cleared after an FBI and child services investigation, Ange, 49, has repeatedly made the abuse claims in the court case over their Chateau Miraval property.
“There’s no doubt that Brad’s real motivation is to tell his side of that story,” the insider says of the infamous plane incident. “He’s paid dearly for that day – he’s lost his children, and that’s what keeps him awake at night.”
BUILDING BRIDGES
In the time Brad and Ange have been attempting to finalise their drawn-out divorce, the actor’s also had to deal with the devastation of their kids – Maddox, 23, Pax, 21, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 16 – pulling further and further away from him.
Sources said Brad was crushed when Shiloh legally dropped his surname in May, but despite the growing distance with his kids, he’s still holding out hope of a reunion with them one day.
“He has no intention of trashing anyone, even Angie,” the source says. “He just wants to stick to facts, own up to his faults, and hopefully it will reach one of his
estranged kids.”
Insiders add that Brad is looking to a tell-all as “an opportunity to build bridges”.“
He wants to tell his story, but in his mind he will be telling it to his kids,” the insider says. “He’s not looking for comeuppance – there’s been too much of that already and he’s tired of all the fighting, the lawsuits, the anger.”
A FRESH CHAPTER
Brad is also focused on his new life with girlfriend Ines de Ramon, amid predictions he’s “on the home run” with the custody case being resolved.
“He knows he’s had to redeem himself by working on his sobriety and trying to be a better man, but he feels if he doesn’t speak out, Ange will not stop dragging his name through the mud,” the source says.
