Brad Pitt will fight for custody of his children after his wife Angelina Jolie filed for divorce and sole custody of their six children.
Amid speculation that a parenting issue caused the Hollywood power couple to split sources close to the stars have stared leaking, with one reportedly telling PEOPLE that Brad is angry he’s being cast as a bad father in all this.
“Brad thinks Angelina is a great mother,” the insider told PEOPLE. “But he is also a great father. There is no way he is going to be absent for any part of his kids’ lives.”
Jolie asked for physical custody of Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and eight-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox, in divorce documents filed on Monday. She also asked that her husband of two years be granted visitation.
Jolie’s camp was the first to release a statement addressing the divorce: “This decision was made for the health of the family,” the actress’ attorney said. “She will not be commenting at this time, and asks that the family be given their privacy during this difficult time.”
And Brad later released a statement.
“I am very saddened by this, but what matters most now is the well-being of our kids,” he said in the statement. “I kindly ask the press to give them the space they deserve during this challenging time.”
Jolie and Pitt have been together for 12 years and married for 2. The divorce comes as a shock to many – even those close to the couple, like Angie’s father Jon Voight and Brad’s best pal [George Clooney]( http://www.aww.com.au/latest-news/celebrity/george-clooney-blindsided-on-live-tv-on-brad-pitt-and-angelina-jolie-divorce-28922 http://www.aww.com.au/latest-news/celebrity/george-clooney-blindsided-on-live-tv-on-brad-pitt-and-angelina-jolie-divorce-28922|target=”_blank”) who both seemed blindsided by the news.
