Jennifer Aniston isn’t the only one sad to have wrapped the final season of Morning Wars earlier this month. Insiders say her ex-husband Brad Pitt is in mourning over the end of the hit show – and the scene of his weekly meet-ups with Jen.
According to the Daily Mail, the former couple revisited their friendship shortly after their famous 2020 SAG Awards reunion hug, where they swapped numbers. Brad texted first, resulting in private lunches in her trailer and evenings at her house, carefully kept private.
“After the stresses of other marriage break-ups, it was just what they needed,” says a mutual pal. “And for a while it looked like things might turn romantic.”
But Brad’s ongoing divorce battle with Angelina Jolie, 51, undoubtedly made things complicated.
“Jen just didn’t want to get involved,” notes the insider.
CLOSE CONFIDANTS
Even today, his never-ending legal battles with Angelina still grind on, with a trial date set for next year over their French estate and winery Chateau Miraval. All but one of Brad’s children have publicly distanced themselves from him, with son Pax the only one who hasn’t dropped the Pitt surname altogether.
With Jen, 57, desperate to avoid being pulled into that wreckage, the couple have remained close confidants.
“She was, and continues to be, one of the few people he feels he can trust completely. They still keep in touch from time to time,” says the insider.
“Getting back together with her and talking again was one of the best decisions that he has ever made.
While their weekly luncheons and private dinners may have come to a halt with the arrival of Jen’s new man, Jim Curtis, 50, a friend of Brad’s says he’s “not worried at all”, adding, “He’s not going anywhere and has no intention of ceasing his regular contact with Jen. She knows him better than anyone.”
JUDGEMENT FREE
The F1 star told Esquire magazine he was “off the wagon” after seven years of sobriety, claiming he was drinking responsibly now.
He also admitted to having “suicidal” thoughts amid the pain of losing his family.
His marriage split in 2016 came after it was alleged Brad, 62, physically assaulted Angelina and their children on a private plane. A report released by the FBI alleged he punched the plane ceiling and got into an altercation with one of their children, poured beer over Angelina and pushed her.
It was after this incident that Brad stopped drinking, telling GQ in 2017 that he “could drink a Russian under the table with his own vodka. I was a professional. I was good.”
But despite this, Jennifer has remained loyal to her ex-husband.
“Jen’s always been there and there’s no doubt her kind of judgement-free chats have helped him through some tough moments,” adds the mutual pal. “He feels like he’s trying to pick up the pieces after being completely shipwrecked and it’s only natural he’s been leaning on Jen – she’s the only one who gets the pressure he’s under.”
The pair co-founded the production company Plan B Entertainment in 2001, and while Jennifer stepped away in 2005 they have remained deeply connected.
“Jen’s helped him remember how to relax again – he has deep regrets at walking out on her,” says the source. “He wants to make things right.”
While Brad has been with jewellery designer Ines de Ramon since 2022, it’s hard for him not to think “what if”.
“As much as he loves Ines, she hasn’t grown up on a film set like Jen has. With Jen, everything is easier – he rarely makes a big movie decision without running it past her.”
However insiders say Jim is understandably less relaxed about the ongoing arrangement.
“Jim is annoyed about it but there’s not much he can do about it without seeming insecure,” says an insider. “Things had been going so well but now Jen is distracted – it’d be understandable if he’s worried she’s back under Brad’s spell.”
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