Angelina Jolie has filed for divorce from Brad Pitt for "the health of her family," two years after the couple wed.
Brad Pitt may not have to worry much longer about the recent allegations of physical abuse that are being investigated by multiple agencies after he and son Maddox got into a fight on the family plane last week, as the argument was caught on video.
US Weekly is reporting that cameras at Minnesota's International Falls Airport captured the argument between Maddox and Pitt, which should be a huge help to investigators in the case.
It could be an even bigger help to Pitt however as a source who saw the video claims: 'Brad is seen yelling a lot during it, but nothing physical.'
Pitt then drove around the tarmac in a fuel truck, but returned to the plane soon after and the group departed for Los Angeles.
It is still not clear however if that was the extent of the confrontation between the father and son, or if the heated row continued after the plane took back off for Los Angeles.
A source close to the actor shot down a report that appeared on TMZ Friday claiming that the confrontation between the Hollywood star and his teenage son escalated to the point that Pitt struck the boy - 'intentionally or inadvertently' - early Friday.
'These claims are exaggerated and fabricated,' a friend of the actor tells DailyMail.com.
'It's unfortunate for the whole family that people are insisting on continuing this endless smear campaign against Brad that hurts everyone.
'They are a solid family with two caring parents and a normal share of verbal disagreements like major households .
'Hopefully people can move on and leave them all alone to work this out.'
Pitt's friend went on to explain that the actor has nothing negative to say about Jolie and continues to have a huge amount of respect for the mother of his children.
'He is focused on the best interests of the kids right now, that is why he has remained silent despite the smears,' his friend explained, adding that Pitt wants his six children to feel good about both their parents.
The argument between Pitt and Maddox is still under investigation by both the LA County Department of Children and Family Services and the FBI.
The Los Angeles Police Department made the decision to hand the case over to federal authorities after they were informed of the incident by DCFS because the incident happened in the air and not in a specific jurisdiction.
Maddox Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. File photo / AP
A statement from the FBI said: 'In response to your inquiry regarding allegations within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States; specifically, an aircraft carrying Mr. Brad Pitt and his children, the FBI is continuing to gather facts and will evaluate whether an investigation at the federal level will be pursued.'
TMZ reported earlier this week that it was an anonymous source who called in the complaint to DCFS, alleging that there was both physical and verbal abuse during a confrontation between Pitt and one of his children.
On Thursday morning, a police car was seen arriving at the Jolie-Pitt compound in the Hollywood Hills, where Pitt is believed to be staying while Jolie and the children are at a Malibu rental home.
Pitt has hired Lance Spiegel to represent him in the divorce. His previous clients include Charlie Sheen, Eva Longoria and Michael Jackson.
It was revealed on Thursday that 15-year-old Maddox, the couple's oldest son, was the child involved in the confrontation.
Maddox was adopted by Jolie from Cambodia when he was only a few months old back in 2002 - while she was still married to Billy Bob Thornton.
Jolie and Thornton split just three months later and divorced the following year, with Thornton never legally adopting the boy.
The actress and Pitt then began dating sometime around 2004 or 2005, and in 2006 Pitt adopted both Maddox and his little sister Zahara.
A colleague of the couple tells Access Hollywood that while Jolie wants the children to have a relationship with Pitt, there are no plans for visitation between the six kids and their father at this time.
TMZ reports that Pitt will be seeking joint custody.
And while the divorce did not come as a surprise to Pitt, he was thrown off by the time according to those close to the actor.
'He was appealing to her to do this quietly - not to save the marriage but to consider the well-being of the children - and it was ignored,' a source close to the actor told People.
The source added: 'There was clearly a breaking point, where she'd just had enough. He may have been broken himself and said he couldn't go on, and she reacted. This has been difficult for a while.'
A source close to Jolie meanwhile said: 'Things built and built over time - it wasn't any one thing.
'She's loved this man for several years, and [divorce] is not something you do impulsively.'
That source said that in the end Jolie did 'what she needed to do.'
The Jolie source added however: 'They have six kids together and are always going to be in each other's lives.'
Jolie did not respond to a request for comment while a spokesperson for Pitt reiterated the actor's statement from earlier in the week in which he said: 'I am very saddened by this, but what matters most now is the well being of our kids. I kindly ask the press to give them the space they deserve during this challenging time.'
Both sides have been adamant that there was no extramarital affair and that both are committed to their children, despite false reports that Pitt had engaged in a relationship with his Allied costar Marion Cotillard.
On Wednesday, Cotillard revealed that she is pregnant with her second child and vehemently denied having an affair with Pitt.
Cotillard, 40, wrote a lengthy Instagram message to make the announcement and to dispel rumors on Wednesday before confirming that her partner of eight years Guillaume Canet is the father of her unborn child.
'This is going to be my first and only reaction to the whirlwind news that broke 24 hours ago and that I was swept up into,' the actress said in her post.
'I am not used to commenting on things like this nor taking them seriously,' she continued, 'but as this situation is spiraling and affecting people I love, I have to speak up.'
She concluded her message by wishing Brad and Angelina Jolie well.
'Finally, I do very much wish that Angelina and Brad, both whom I deeply respect, will find peace in this very tumultuous moment. With all my love, Marion.'
Her well wishes come despite a source telling DailyMail.com that Jolie was so jealous of Cotillard on the Allied set that she would not even speak to the French star.
Angelina completely ignored Marion on the set, and when Marion tried to talk to her she just looked the other way,' said the source, who is close to both Jolie and Pitt.
'Marion was devastated, here she is thinking she is going to meet this great UN ambassador and instead Angelina refuses to speak to the woman because of her own jealousy.'
Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt on Monday for 'the health of her family', two years after they wed at their French estate Chateau Miraval.
The actress filed papers citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split and asked for physical custody of the couple's three biological children as well as their three adopted children - Maddox, 15, Pax, 12, and Zahara, 11.
Pitt is said to have been furious over Jolie's appointment of Arminka Helic, 48, and Chloe Dalton, 37, two former political aides to British politician William Hague. A source told the Sun they were brought in to help with her campaign work and speech writing and urged Pitt to reduce the couple's support staff.
'Brad sees the women as a coven. He was furious at some of Arminka's decisions,' the source said.
The decisions are said to have included ditching Pitt's security team - some of whom had worked for the star for 20 years.
Lady Helic is seen as a key person on 'Team Angie' as the actress braces herself for the aftermath of her decision to divorce Pitt.
A source told Daily Mail's Alison Boshoff that Lady Helic is 'smart, strong, and impeccably loyal', adding that she is Angelina's 'assistant, adviser and best friend'.
Angelina watched Lady Helic be admitted to the House of Lords in 2014. They often travel together; recent trips include a visit to the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands and one to Burma at election time last summer.
Boshoff adds that the baroness's place in Jolie's inner circle is so central that she was with her when news of the divorce became public.
The final days
SEPT. 14: The entire Pitt-Jolie family land in Minnesota on trip home from France just before 8pm, where Brad is reportedly seen 'wasted' and yelling on the tarmac, at one point trying to drive off in a fuel truck. The plane then continues on to Los Angeles with Pitt back on-board, and soon after landing an individual contacts the L.A. County Dept. of Children and Family Service to anonymously report that Pitt was 'verbally abusive and physical' with the children on the flight.
SEPT. 15: The official separation date listed by Jolie on divorce documents.
SEPT. 15 - 18: Jolie goes behind Pitt's back and rents a home in Malibu before filing divorce papers a source close to the couple tells DailyMail.com.
SEPT. 17 - 18: Jolie sits Pitt down and tells him she plans to file for divorce. He begs her to wait and promises to undergo more counselling.
SEPT. 18: Jolie's brother is seen watching the couple's biological children - 10-year-old Shiloh and 8-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne - at a Los Angeles park.
SEPT. 19: Jolie files for divorce in a Los Angeles court, citing irreconcilable differences.
SEPT. 20: News of the divorce breaks, along with false reports that Pitt's Allied costar Marion Cotillard had an affair with the actor, which caused the split. Both Jolie and Pitt say in statements that their children are their primary concern at this time and ask for privacy.
SEPT. 21: Cotillard releases a statement on Instagram saying that she has never had any sort of relationship with Pitt while also confirming rumors that she and her actor partner Guillaume Canet are expecting their second child.
SEPT. 21: Moving vans are seen coming and going from the Pitt-Jolie compound in the Hollywood Hills.
SEPT. 22: News breaks that Pitt is being investigated by the FBI and the LA County Department of Children and Family Services after a confrontation with son Maddox on the plane.
SEPT. 22: Police are seen arriving at the Pitt-Jolie compound, where Pitt is believed to be staying alone.
