Almost a week after reportedly reuniting with his other five children, Brad Pitt reunited with his son Maddox Wednesday during a supervised therapist visit, TMZ claims. This is seemingly the first face-to-face visit for the father and son after their alleged altercation on a private plane flying back to the states from France in September. According to sources "connected with Angelina [Jolie]" who spoke with TMZ, Pitt and 15-year-old Maddox were supposed to meet awhile ago, but apparently the therapist didn't think it was the right time for either of them. Now, that all seems to have changed. Bustle has reached out to Pitt's rep regarding this report, but has not yet received a response.
On Oct. 13, People reported that Pitt sat down with his other five children, Shiloh, Zahara, Vivienne, Knox, and Pax, on Oct. 8 for the first time since his split from Jolie was announced in September. At the time of the reunion report, Bustle reached out to Pitt's rep, but has not yet received a response. The names of which children in attendance weren't revealed at that time, but it was reported that not all them were there.
On Wednesday, Us Weekly reported that Maddox refused to join the first meeting with his father. "He chose not to go and stayed with Angie," a "confidante" of Jolie's told Us. As for Pitt's first reunion with his five kids, a source also told Us, "It wasn’t full of joy and happiness."
A source also told Us Weekly about Maddox, "He doesn’t really see himself as Brad’s son." A different insider added, "Maddox never wants to see Brad again."
After Pitt and Jolie's divorce was announced, an alleged altercation between Pitt and Maddox came to light. Reports surfaced that the 52-year-old actor was being investigated for alleged verbal and physical abuse stemming from the reported altercation on a private flight with both Jolie and the six kids. At the time of the report, Bustle reached out for comment from Pitt and Jolie's reps, but has yet to hear back.
In September, The Hollywood Reporter spoke to the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), but it would not confirm or deny whether it was investigating Pitt regarding the rumored incident on the plane. DCFS spokeswoman Amara Suarez said, "We have very strict confidentially laws that don't allow us to confirm or deny the subjects of our investigations."
Soon after, news broke that the rumored case was being referred to the FBI. As TMZ reported at the time, the alleged altercation happened midair from France to the U.S., which means the LAPD wouldn't have jurisdiction, but the FBI would. The FBI released the following statement to Bustle regarding the matter: "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."
On Wednesday, TMZ reported that Jolie and the kids were interviewed by the FBI on Tuesday to determine where the alleged incident between Pitt and Maddox happened. Reportedly, the FBI came to Jolie's Malibu home and conducted interviews for more than three hours. TMZ claims there is no official investigation by the FBI, but that this is part of its "fact-finding" stage to see if there's enough evidence for an actual investigation. TMZ also reports that FBI wanted details about what happened when the private plane refueled in Minnesota, because there is a chance that Minnesota officials may have jurisdiction. Per TMZ sources, it seems Jolie just wants all of this to go away.
Reportedly, the reason a therapist was present during Pitt and Maddox's alleged reunion is due to a temporary divorce agreement recommended by the DCFS, according to TMZ. This agreement reportedly gives Jolie full physical custody of their six kids and grants Pitt temporary visitation rights allowing him to see his kids with a therapist present until he is considered fit to parent without supervision.
Per TMZ, it seems that Jolie and Pitt will also each undergo individual counseling, in addition to family counseling with their children, until the agreement expires on Thursday, Oct. 20. At the time of TMZ's report, Bustle reached out to reps for Pitt and Jolie for comment, but did not receive a response.
