Why Brad Pitt is ‘hesitant’ to date since splitting from Angelina Jolie
Pitt’s love life has been the target of feverish speculation over the past five years
Even though Brad Pitt’s painful divorce from Angelina Jolie could understandably turn him off love and marriage, the 57-year-old actor would still like to find “someone special” to spend the rest of his life with, according to a new report. He’d even like to start dating but is “hesitant.”
As Pitt noted in his 2020 acceptance speech for his Golden Globe award, his love life has been the target of endless speculation since his 2016 breakup from Jolie. Upon winning his trophy for best supporting actor for his role in “Once Upon a Time In… Hollywood,” Pitt joked that he would have brought his mother to the ceremony.
“I wanna say hi to my folks, because hey! They’re back in the Ozarks,” explained the Missouri native. “I wanted to bring my mom, but I couldn’t because any woman I stand next to, they say I’m dating. It would just be awkward.”
This week, an insider confirmed to Us Weekly that Pitt is worried about tabloids making headlines out of any time he’s seen in the company of a woman.
“The trouble is that he hates the process and how he can’t even step out for a friendly coffee without it being gossiped about,” the source said.
Indeed, since his split from Jolie, Pitt’s name has been linked to various women who are probably nothing more than friends or passing acquaintances, including Charlize Theron, “Arrested Development’ star Alia Shawkat, jewelry designer Sat Hari Khalsa and MIT professor Neri Oxman. There also were reports in the summer of 2020 that he enjoyed a brief but uncomplicated romance with 27-year-old German model Nicole Poturalski, and fans continue to hope he’ll get back together with his first wife, Jennifer Aniston.
But another issue for Pitt is that he prefers to focus his time “on his family, charities and work. Those are his main priorities,” the source told Us Weekly.
Pitt’s divorce and custody fight with Jolie has no doubt occupied much of his time and emotional energy. The ex-spouses have been embroiled in a fight over custody for more than five years. They share six children: Maddox, 20, Pax, 18, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 13.
The source told Us Weekly that Pitt wants to put his past with Jolie behind him before he starts dating again. The stars were a couple for more than 10 years and married in 2014 in France.
“Brad hopes that one day he and Angelina find a way to forgive each other and move forward, for the kids’ sakes if nothing else,” the source said. “He hates all the bad blood.”
While their divorce was finalized in April 2019, the former couple have mostly been at odds over his desire for joint 50-50 custody, which is typical for divorced couples.
But it didn’t work that way for Pitt due to Jolie accusing him of domestic violence. It’s been widely reported that Jolie filed for divorce after a confrontation broke out on a private flight carrying Jolie, Pitt and their children from France to Los Angeles.
Pitt was accused of being abusive towards their oldest child, Maddox, then 15, during the flight. Jolie’s attorney said at the time that she sought a divorce “for the health of the family.” Investigations by child welfare officials and the FBI were closed with no charges filed against the actor. Pitt gave interviews in which he admitted that his anger and abuse of alcohol contributed to his divorce. He also said he had gone into recovery to deal with his issues and be a better father.
The custody battle grew heated again in June after a private judge, John Ouderkirk, who was jointly hired by the estranged couple to work out their divorce settlement, ruled in Pitt’s favor in sharing joint custody.
But Jolie successfully appealed Ouderkirk’s ruling, with California’s Second District Court of Appeal agreeing with her argument that the judge should be disqualified because he failed to sufficiently disclose business relationships with Pitt’s attorneys. Pitt petitioned the California Supreme Court to review the appellate court ruling, but his motion was denied in September.
That means the couple are basically back to square one when it comes to working out custody. But to legal experts, the idea of extending an already bitter and protracted divorce fight raises the question: Is that really in the best interests of the children? They already are teenagers and two, Maddox and Pax, are no longer minors and would no longer be covered by an agreement.
