Brad Pitt And Angelina Jolie Prepare For Divorce After Putting Up A United Front For Their Kids

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s divorce judge will reportedly aim to make their divorce as painless as possible.

Following months of back and forth, Brad Pitt and his estranged wife have announced they will now be putting up a united front for the sake of their family, and according to a new report, the judge on their case will do his best to help them work out their issues in the best way possible.

“[Judge John Ouderkirk] will try to get Angelina and Brad to laugh through their divorce proceedings,” a source revealed to Hollywood Life on January 18. “He’s known to be strict, but also has a sense of humor that could diffuse any difficult issues they might encounter.”

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s divorce judge is said to be the same man who officiated their wedding in August 2014, when the now-estranged couple said their “I dos” at their home in France, Chateau Miraval, surrounded by their six kids.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie struck up a relationship with one another on the set of 2005’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith when Pitt was married to Friends actress Jennifer Aniston. However, they didn’t go public with one another until after Aniston filed for divorce. Since then, Pitt and Jolie have adopted 3 children, Maddox, 15, from Cambodia, Pax, 13, from Vietnam, and Zahara, 11, from Ethiopia. They’ve also welcomed three kids biologically, daughter Shiloh, 10, and twins Vivienne and Knox, eight. Years later, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie tied the knot.

As for Judge John Ouderkirk, the Hollywood Life source revealed that both Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are reportedly comfortable with his knowledge of their situation.

“[Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie] both trust and like him to a certain degree,” the source continued. “Judge Ouderkirk has been around the block and has a lot of life and legal experience that he can bring to the table to try and help resolve this situation as amicably as possible.”

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been battling for custody of their children since September 19, when Jolie filed for divorce and requested she be given full physical custody of the kids. However, after Brad Pitt was given a loud applause during his appearance at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards, he and his estranged wife released a statement, which seemingly confirmed they were ready to turn over a new leaf and continue on with their custody battle in a positive and private manner.

“The parties and their counsel have signed agreements to preserve the privacy rights of their children and family by keeping all court documents confidential and engaging a private judge to make any necessary legal decisions and to facilitate the expeditious resolution of any remaining issues,” read the former couple’s statement to People Magazine. “The parents are committed to act as a united front to effectuate recovery and reunification.”

Following Angelina Jolie’s divorce filing, she and Brad Pitt proceeded to publicly diss one another in their court documents, but now, as they attempt to maintain their united front, they have allegedly let their personal issues take a back seat. In a new interview, California divorce attorney Dave Pisarra revealed that Pitt and Jolie have likely been advised against speaking ill of one another as their divorce proceedings continue.

“[Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s] attorneys have probably told them by now that publicly shaming each other will not help them in front of a judge, whether private or public,” Pisarra explained to Hollywood Life. “The fact that the parties are looking to resolve this conflict privately will hopefully move them to stop trashing each other in public.”

[Featured Image by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images]