Celebrity News September 23, 2016
More Details Emerge on Brangelina Divorce Drama
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's split has been making headlines for days, with many still wondering what ultimately caused the split.
Rumors were swirling that Jolie filed for divorce after Pitt allegedly got “verbally abusive” and “physical” with one of their children on a private jet last week. The child in question is reportedly Maddox, 15.
Us Weekly reports that the altercation was caught on video with Brad "yelling a lot during it, but nothing physical.” Another insider shared more details, saying, "He got drunk and was fighting with Angie. Maddox stepped in to defend Angie and got in Brad's face.”
A source close to Brad told his side of the story to People magazine, saying, “There was a parent-child argument which was not handled in the right way and escalated more than it should have.”
The insider emphasized that Brad would never harm his kids, pointing out, "He is emphatic that it did not reach the level of physical abuse, that no one was physically harmed. He did not hit his child in the face in any way. He did not do that; he is emphatic about that. He put his hands on him, yes, because the confrontation was spiraling out of control.”
Another close pal of Brad's slammed Angelina's team for making the allegations against the 52-year-old. "They have taken the overall smallest kernel of truth — that a fight got out of hand and reached a regrettable peak, and that as a result DCFS is looking into it — and they are manipulating it to best suit their attempts to gain custody.”
On Thursday, it was revealed that L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services was investigating Brad for the alleged blowup, with the FBI also getting involved. FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller told “Extra” on the same day, “In response to your inquiry regarding allegations within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States; specifically, an aircraft carrying Mr. Brad Pitt and his children, the FBI is continuing to gather facts and will evaluate whether an investigation at the federal level will be pursued.”
“Extra” has tracked what is believed to be the plane and travel information for Angelina and Brad's last flight together, where the couple allegedly had the fight. The family took off from France in what appears to be a Bombardier Global Express operated by Vistajet, pictured below.
FlightAware shows only one plane coming from Nice, France, and landing at 9:12 p.m. local time at Falls International Airport in International Falls, Minnesota, on September 14. The plane then continued to Burbank, California, which is the same route the Pitt-Jolie family took that day. See more photos of the Bombardier Global Express here.
As for how the divorce is affecting Brad? Two staffers, who chose to remain anonymous, told The Sun, "I have never seen Brad like this. He is distraught, pacing, nervous — totally terrified. He is just expressing to me that he is scared."
"He is scared of losing his kids over something that he hasn't done and him being made out to look like a bad father. He is far from a bad father. He's not able to see the kids at the moment but he is constantly in touch with staff asking to make sure they're okay,” one staffer added.
The second staffer reiterated, "Brad feels terrible. He feels that what is being said isn't accurate and fair. I don't believe it is either."
In happier times, Brad and Angelina spoke candidly to "Extra" about their relationship. Watch some of their most memorable interviews below.
TMZ was the first to break the news of Brad's conflict with Maddox.