Brad Pitt Wins Joint Custody of His 5 Children with Angelina Jolie

On Thursday, renowned American actor Brad Pitt was granted joint custody of his 5 children with the Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie following a lengthy court battle, according to American media.

In 2016, the beautiful actress filed for porce and the couple have since been engaged in a custody battle largely shielded from public view.

A private judge hired to oversee the case, John Ouderkirk, ruled in the actor's favor.

Also in its regard, a source told the Press Association revealed that the ruling would "significantly increase" his time with the children.

Pitt, 57, and his ex-wife, 45, are parents to Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 14, and 12-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.

The elder boy, 19-year-old Maddox, is not subject to the custody decision.

For her part, Ms. Jolie has criticized the judge's decision not to allow their children to testify in custody hearings.

Talking to Vogue in 2020, Ms. Jolie said she left Mr. Pitt for the "wellbeing" of her family.

"It was the right decision," Ms. Jolie said. "I continue to focus on their healing."

The well-known actress has previously claimed that she and all her children were abused in 2016 by Pitt.

On the other hand, Mr. Pitt spoke to American media about his decision to quit drinking and smoking marijuana.

"For me, every misstep has been a step toward epiphany, understanding, some kind of joy," he said.

Indeed, this case puts a spotlight on how children’s interests are and are not considered in family courts nationwide.

According to American law, the national family courts evaluate custody disputes based on what’s in a child’s “best interests” and should account for a child’s exposure to domestic violence or substance abuse, which often go hand-in-hand, and any other significant acrimony between the parents, as well as positive experiences with parents that children might feel, should affect the custody outcome. However, getting their testimony to be heard can be incredibly difficult.

It's worth mentioning that the trial lasted for several months and there were a large number of witnesses, experts, and therapists, according to international reports.