After finally settling his lengthy and bitter custody battle with Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt is celebrating being able to spend the holiday season with his six children.
Now a source tells New Idea that he’s added an extra guest to the mix – Jennifer Aniston – and they’re heading to his Missouri home town to see his parents.
“Spending Christmas with Jennifer and all his kids is a dream come true for Brad,” a source close to the actor tells New Idea.
“Now that the custody battle is over and Brad finally has won the kids back on his terms, going on a big family trip to Missouri is on the cards. He’s moving heaven and earth to make it happen – he wants all the people he loves under one roof come Christmas morning.”
Last year, Brad, 55, praised the area where he grew up, calling it “stunning country”, but as of September, his parents, Jane, 78, and Bill, 77, hadn’t seen their grandchildren since the announcement of the Jolie-Pitt marriage breakdown in 2016.
So it’s no surprise the Hollywood star believes being back home with his family, Jennifer, 49, and the children will be the perfect – and snowy – end to a tough year.
“Brad wants this year’s Christmas to be the polar opposite of last year’s. He was so alone last year, so heartbroken and really felt like he had nothing to look forward to,” the source adds.
“But now that the messy court battle for custody is over, he finally feels like he can move forward with Jen and make a family with her and the kids. He is desperate to make it official with Jennifer, and wants this Christmas holiday to be their new start.”
According to our source, Jennifer is splashing out on $40,000 worth of presents for the kids and is looking forward to helping her former mother-in-law Jane with the cooking.
“She’s thrilled about celebrating Christmas with her true love, Brad, and his family,” says the source, adding that the Pitts never got along with Angelina, 43, who they considered “icy”, while they “adore” Jennifer, confirming, “it’s a dream come true”.
It’s likely the only person who won’t be happy about the cosy family arrangement is Angelina, who is said to be unhappy with the recently settled custody agreement, with US Weekly reporting Brad “got what he wanted”.
Brad spending time with her arch-rival Jen “will certainly rub salt in the wounds and make her even more livid”, notes the source.
Meanwhile, the road to Brad’s Christmas miracle has been a rocky one. As recently as last month it appeared as though Brad and Angelina would be heading to court after failing to reach a custody agreement after years of back and forth.
In August, Ange’s lawyers filed papers claiming Brad hadn’t paid any “meaningful child support” while insiders from Brad’s team responded that this was untrue and he was no “deadbeat dad”.
Ahead of the trial set for Dec. 4, an evaluation report was reportedly “extremely favourable” towards Brad, and Angelina was advised that if she went to trial she would lose the case.
Then on Nov. 30, Angelina’s representative Samantha Bley DeJean confirmed that a deal had been reached.
“The details of the agreement are to remain confidential to protect the best interests of the children,” she said.
But, according to a source, “Ange had to give in. Plain and simple.”
Brad had his five younger children for a supervised overnight stay, ahead of his 55th birthday on Dec. 18, but over the Christmas break he will have them for much longer.
“Brad never gave up. And now he has what he always wanted: his kids back,” adds the source.
“This Christmas with them and Jen couldn’t be more special.”
For the full story see this weeks issue of New Idea, on sale now.
