Pitt ‘outburst’ on flight alleged as final straw leading to Jolie divorce case

An outburst by Brad Pitt in front of his family on a flight finally convinced Angelina Jolie to file for divorce, it’s alleged.

Brad Pitt with three of their children, Pax, Shiloh and Maddox in 2014. Picture: AFP

An outburst by Brad Pitt in front of his family on board a transatlantic flight finally convinced Angelina Jolie to file for divorce, the website that first reported their split claimed.

TMZ alleges that the actor stands accused of verbal and physical abuse of at least one of his children aboard the private jet from France last Wednesday, citing “sources familiar with the situation”.

“The allegation goes this way. That he got wasted on the plane and then went nuts,” Harvey Levin, the founder of the celebrity news website, said yesterday.

According to TMZ, Pitt had not calmed down by the time the aircraft landed in Minnesota at about 8pm, leading to an anonymous tip-off to the Los Angeles child protection authorities.

The complaint was passed to Los Angeles police, which referred the alleged incident to the FBI because it began in the air, the website reported.

The FBI confirmed today it is gathering information about the incident. Spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said the agency is still evaluating whether to open an investigation.

TMZ, People magazine and local television news network KTLA say that the children and family services department for Los Angeles county is investigating and has spoken to both actors.

Los Angeles police and Los Angeles airport police both denied knowledge of, or involvement in, any investigation.

Commenting on the reported investigation, a source close to the actor said yesterday: “He takes the matter very seriously and says he did not commit any abuse of his children.”

People, which paid Pitt and Jolie much of the reported $US23 million for selling their wedding and baby photos during their 12-year relationship, said Pitt did not return to the family home in Los Angeles with Jolie and the children after the alleged incident.

When Jolie, 41, filed for divorce on Monday seeking sole physical custody of their six children, three of whom are adopted, she listed Thursday, the day after the flight, as the date on which the couple separated.

Previous stories emanating from the Jolie camp had suggested that her husband’s alleged drinking, marijuana use and anger management problems had tipped their strained marriage over the edge and left her fearing for the safety of Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 8.

One of her lawyers, Robert Offer, said on Tuesday that Jolie had taken the decision “for the health of the family”.

Pitt, 52, has fired back through his own proxies, calling the accusations a malicious lie and pledging to fight his wife for the right to have the children live with him.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at Haneda airport in Tokyo in 2013 with their children. Picture: AFP

Suggestions that the divorce could be connected to Pitt’s relationship with Marion Cotillard, with whom he stars in Allied, a wartime espionage thriller, were dismissed by the French actress in an Instagram post on Wednesday.

After affirming her love for her husband and “the baby we are expecting”, she denied being “devastated” by rumours of an affair with Pitt, as one British tabloid reported. “This crafted conversation isn’t distressing . . . I do very much wish that Angelina and Brad, both of whom I deeply respect, will find peace,” she said.

The Times, AP