By Amy Croffey
Hopes of an amicable divorce between Hollywood power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are in doubt as the custody battle for their six children begins.
A number of reports suggest Pitt is "upset" and plans to attempt to fight back against accusations of his alleged alcohol consumption, marijuana smoking, anger issues and bad parenting methods as cited by Hollywood entertainment website TMZ.
The website also reports that Pitt feels like Jolie has put their children at risk by starting the rhetoric of acrimony as they have now become a prime target for the paparazzi.
Jolie has sought physical custody of their three biological children - Shiloh, 10, and twins Knox and Vivienne, eight, and their three adopted children - Maddox, 15, from Cambodia; Pax, 12, from Vietnam; and Zahara, 11, from Ethiopia.
End times: The questions raised by this split are profound.Credit: Getty Images
She asked that her husband of two years be granted visitation, and has brought in the big guns, hiring Tinseltown's go-to divorce lawyer, Laura Wasser.
"Angelina will always do what's in the best interest of taking care of her family," Geyer Kosinski, Jolie's manager, told E! News on Tuesday in her second statement to be released to the public.
But a source told People, Pitt will not likely accept sole custody, as "sole custody for either of them doesn't seem like what's best for the children".
"Brad thinks Angelina is a great mother. But he is also a great father. There is no way he is going to be absent for any part of his kids' lives," the source said.
This picture of Selena Gomez, 24, with Pitt, 52, at the Golden Globe awards earlier this year caused Jolie, 41, to "blow a gasket".Credit: Selena Gomez/Instagram
When it comes to pointing fingers, Selena Gomez, a former Disney star and the ex-girlfriend of Justin Bieber, found herself dragged into the mix alongside Pitt's Allied co-star, Marion Cotillard.
On Wednesday the National Enquirer suggested that a photo of the 24-year-old with Pitt, 52, at the Golden Globe awards earlier this year caused Jolie, 41, to "blow a gasket".
The New York Post caused outrage by putting a laughing Aniston on their front cover on Wednesday.
Gomez and Pitt, who is more than twice her age, are said to have flirted during the late night chat, but despite the picture of them gazing into each others' eyes there is nothing to suggest anything untoward happened.
Tabloids - the public instigators of the Pitt and Jolie vs Jennifer Aniston feud for well over a decade have been having a field day with the news of the Hollywood power couple's demise.
The New York Post caused outrage by putting a laughing Aniston on their front cover, alongside the poignant headline "Brangelina 2014 - 2016."
To be taken with possibly the largest grain of salt, Us Weekly reported that the former Friends star, 47, who has always tried to remain out of the public discourse surrounding her ex-husband Pitt and Jolie, told friends "that's karma for you" when she heard about the split.
Meanwhile, singer Adele is doing what she does best in heartbreak situations and dedicated her New York City show to Brangelina on Wednesday night.
"I need to address the elephant in the room ... It's the end of an era," she said.