In the 22 months since Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt, she never asked him for child support — until her court filing on Tuesday, August 7.
“At every phase of the divorce proceedings — including the initial divorce filing, which completely blindsided Brad — he has contributed financially to the care, welfare and expenses of their children,” a source tells Us Weekly exclusively. “At no point during this process has Angie ever requested child support from Brad.”
The estranged couple once known as Brangelina communicated through Pitt’s attorney regarding “anything the children need financially,” according to the source. In addition, the insider tells Us, “Brad has paid for a majority of the children’s security, which includes bodyguards, since the separation.”
Jolie’s attorney Samantha Bley DeJean claimed in Tuesday’s court filing that the 54-year-old actor has “paid no meaningful child support” since the pair split in September 2016. A source familiar with the situation countered to Us, “Brad has fulfilled all of his commitments under any agreements with Angelina. Hopefully both sides can come together and resolve this, and work it out for the sake of the children.”
In light of the 43-year-old actress’ new request, the first source tells Us, “Asking for child support is going to require extensive forensic accounting, which Angie’s lawyer Laura Wasser had advised her against doing until custody issues were resolved because it’s extremely time-consuming and would only complicate things further.”
The insider adds that Jolie’s actions “won’t deter [Pitt] from seeking joint custody” of their six children: Maddox, 17, Pax, 14, Zahara, 13, Shiloh, 12, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 10.
After the Tomb Raider star filed her request, her spokesperson told Us, “The aim of Angelina’s routine court filing is to provide closure to the marriage in a way that clears a path toward the next stage of their lives and allows her and Brad to recommit as devoted coparents to their children.”
According to documents obtained by Us, Pitt filed a response on Wednesday, August 8, claiming he loaned Jolie $8 million to buy the home in which she currently lives, in addition to paying more than $1.3 million in child support.
Us Weekly has reached out to Jolie and Pitt’s reps for comment.
With reporting by Jen Heger
