Why Brad Pitt Is Convinced His Ex Angelina Jolie Had a Pop at Him and Dead Mom With Major Family Update: Source

OK! can reveal Brad Pitt is said to believe recent comments by Angelina Jolie about raising children without a grandmother may have been a veiled swipe at him and his late mother, as tensions between the former couple continue to simmer nearly a decade after their split.

Pitt, 62, and Jolie, 50, remain locked in a long-running legal battle over their shared French winery and unresolved disputes stemming from their 2016 separation.

The pair share six children – Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 19, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 17 – and the family dynamic is expected to shift again this summer when the twins turn 18, ending any remaining custody arrangements.

Jolie has indicated she hopes to spend more time outside Los Angeles once that happens, potentially relocating for extended periods to Cambodia, where she has long-standing ties.

The actress recently reflected in an interview about raising her children without her own mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who died of cancer in 2007 at age 56.

Her remark resurfaced just months after Pitt's mother, Jane Pitt, died last summer at age 84 – prompting speculation among those close to the actor that the timing struck a particularly raw nerve with the Fight Club star.

An insider close to Pitt said the remark felt personal, given the circumstances surrounding his mother's death and the distance that has developed within the family in recent years.

They added: "From Brad's point of view, the timing of that remark could not have been worse. Losing his mother last year is still something he is struggling to come to terms with, and the grief is very fresh. So when he hears comments about children being raised without a grandmother, it inevitably lands very close to home. To him, it feels less like an innocent reflection and more like something that reopens a wound that has barely begun to heal."

The source continued: "Brad has always been incredibly protective of his mother and very proud of the role she played in the family. She absolutely adored those children and wanted to be a bigger part of their lives, so the idea being implied publicly that they somehow grew up without that connection is deeply upsetting to him. In his mind, it ignores how much love and effort she put into trying to maintain those bonds. Hearing it framed that way feels unfair and painful, especially now that she is no longer here to speak for herself."

Another source familiar with the situation said Pitt believes the remarks reopened lingering tensions about the estrangement that has defined much of the family's life since the couple separated.

They added: "Brad still feels a deep sense of loss over how much the family dynamic changed after the breakup. Before everything fell apart, his side of the family had a real presence in the children's lives and those relationships meant a great deal to him. Over time that connection faded, and in Brad's view it was never truly rebuilt. It is something that continues to weigh heavily on him because he always imagined the kids growing up with strong ties to both sides of the family."

The source continued: "Now that the children are getting older and beginning to make their own choices as adults, Brad hopes there might be an opportunity for those relationships to gradually be repaired. He would like to believe that as they gain more independence, they might reconnect with relatives they have not seen in years. But when he hears public comments that seem to gloss over or dismiss the role his family once played, it leaves him feeling frustrated and hurt, because he believes those connections mattered and still could."

Those close to Jolie insist the actor's interpretation misses the point of her comments and say she was simply speaking about her own grief and experiences after losing Bertrand.

A source said: "Angelina's comments were very much about her own experience of loss and the lasting impact her mother's death has had on her life and the way she has raised her children. She was reflecting on the absence she personally felt after losing her mom, not making any kind of pointed statement about Brad or his family. From her perspective, it was a deeply personal observation rather than something intended to provoke a reaction."

The insider added: "Angelina never had any issue with Jane Pitt and was always cordial and respectful whenever they crossed paths. There was no animosity there. The way she sees it, the remark was simply about how losing her own mother shaped her journey as a parent and the challenges of raising kids without that support system. Any suggestion that it was meant as a criticism of Brad's family is completely off the mark."