Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s years-long bitter divorce battle FINALLY nears the end – as the actor drops his pursuit seeking shared custody of their children

The years-long, bitter divorce battle between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie is finally nearing an end, as the actor has reportedly dropped his quest for shared custody of the children he has with his ex.

A source told DailyMail.com that the couple, who have been embroiled in a nasty courtroom confrontation since splitting in 2016, are currently in negotiations and are finally nearing the finish line in their epic legal war, which is expected to end by the summer.

While Brad, 60, had originally sought a 50/50 settlement regarding their six children, an insider has now revealed he is no longer contesting the matter.

That means Angelina, 48, will retain primary physical custody of the children and he will have visitation rights.

One factor in that decision is that much of their brood is “old age” — only Shiloh, 17, Knox and Vivienne, both 15, are not yet 18 — and Shiloh will cross that milestone in May.

The older children – Maddox 22, Pax, 20 and Zahara, 19 – are said to have a difficult relationship with Brad; and as adults, in the eyes of the law, they are now not covered by custody agreements.

Adopted son Pax reportedly hasn’t spoken to the Fight Club alum since the now infamous private plane fight that ended the marriage, and it’s said he doesn’t even consider Brad a parent anymore.

In 2020, he called Brad a “world-class asshole” and a “despicable person” on his private Instagram account who made his four youngest children “tremble in fear,” as previously revealed by DailyMail.com.

In the scathing post, shared on Father’s Day, he added: ‘You prove time and time again that you are a horrible and despicable person.

“You have no compassion or empathy for your four youngest children, who tremble with fear when they are in your presence.

“You will never understand the damage you have caused to my family because you are incapable of doing so.”

Additionally, Zahara is now called ‘Zahara Jolie’ instead of ‘Zahara Jolie Pitt’, which is her legal name.

A source from Brad’s camp described what happened between him and the children as “parental alienation” and claimed that Angelina’s intention was to continue the separation until the children were 18.

However, her friends have insisted: ‘Brad has no one to blame but himself. All Angelina wants is to heal their family and move on.”

DailyMail.com has reached out to both Angelina and Brad’s reps.

The two stars started dating in 2005 and their romance was controversial from the start.

They met on the set of the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith — while still married to Jennifer Aniston — and almost immediately rumors broke out that he had cheated on the Friends alum.

It was a love triangle that took the nation by storm – and although Brad started dating Angelina almost immediately after his and Jennifer’s split, he has furiously denied being unfaithful to his ex.

The couple, called ‘Brangelina’, quickly became Hollywood’s It couple.

They married in August 2014 in a secret ceremony in the south of France, and welcomed three children together: Shiloh in 2006 and twins Vivienne and Knox in 2008.

They also adopted two more, Zahara and Pax, and Brad legally adopted the son Angelina adopted before they got together, Maddox.

But things came to an explosive end in 2016 after the couple had an alleged physical altercation while on a private flight with their six children.

Angelina later claimed that Brad “strangled” one of the children during the horrific dispute and “punched” another in the face, leaving her and the children feeling like “hostages” and huddled in fear under a blanket for hours until they landed.

She also claimed he grabbed her by the head, slammed her against a wall and at one point during the flight violently shook her, injuring her back and elbow.

Brad’s rep called Angelina’s story ‘completely untrue’ CNN initially, but then released an amended statement to the publication that read, “Angelina’s story continues to evolve every time she tells it.

“Brad has accepted responsibility for what he did, but won’t for the things he didn’t do. He has been on the receiving end of every form of personal attack and misrepresentation.

“Fortunately, the various government agencies she has tried to use against him over the past six years have made their own independent decisions. Brad will continue to respond in court as he has consistently done.”

In May 2021, after years of battling it out in court, Brad and Angelina were officially awarded joint custody of their children, but a month later the judge’s decision was overturned, meaning they had to start all over again.

But in early February, the first signs that the divorce proceedings were finally coming to an end emerged when the couple filed their final disclosure statements.

Since breaking up, the two stars have also been fighting in court over the vineyard they once owned together.

After Angelina sold her stake in their French winery, called Chateau Miraval, to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler in October 2021, Brad sued her for breach of contract and has since accused Yuri’s company of “an attempted hostile takeover of the wine business.”

Angelina’s investment firm Nouvel then filed a $350 million lawsuit against Brad, claiming he had “wasted the company’s assets” and spent “millions” of dollars on “vanity projects” such as renovating swimming pools and building a recording studio on site.

During a hearing earlier this month, the judge ruled in favor of the Oscar-winning actress “and dismissed five of the seven claims Brad had made against her.”

She “really harbors no ill will toward” her ex, her lawyer said afterward, adding that he “hopes he will now release her from his frivolous lawsuit, stop his brutal attacks and work with her to keep their family private.” help heal.”