All of the long-time Angelina Jolie fans have watched Brad Pitt’s machinations for years, as his team consistently runs to Page Six, the Daily Mail and TMZ to introduce various “Angelina Jolie is the worst because of this and that” stories. Weirdly, in recent years, TMZ has kind of gotten tired of being a Brad Pitt defender, so that just leaves the Mail and the NY Post. Last week, the Mail started running some very fishy exclusives about how Angelina’s six kids have not had any contact with Brad’s parents or extended family since the 2016 plane incident. At first, it was just “the kids haven’t seen Bill and Jane Pitt for eight years.” Then the Mail ran a follow-up exclusive with suspicious “private photos” of the Jolie-Pitt kids when they were a lot younger, hanging out with their Pitt cousins and various Pitt relations. Did the Pitt family send those photos to the Mail? Did they get paid for the pics? From the Mail:

Now, insiders have shed light on how the lack of contact has been felt by members of Brad’s wider family, including his nieces and nephews, who are also mourning the close bond they once shared with their cousins.

‘When it went down with Brad, his family was hyper focused on him getting help for his alcoholism,’ an insider told DailyMail.com. ‘The Pitt’s tried their best to keep in touch with the children but some members of his family struggled to contain their frustration with the fallout and as a result, Angelina cut the kids off. The kids were young, so any contact had to go through their mom. And now, almost nine years later, they have no relationship.’

For William, also known as Bill, 83, and Jane, 84, all their attempts to try and maintain a relationship with their beloved grandchildren has so far been in vain. ‘His parents still send cards at Christmas and for birthdays even though they get no response,’ the insider continued.

[From The Daily Mail]

The Mail published this four days ago, and I guess Brad’s team worried that it wasn’t getting enough coverage, because they ran to People Magazine with the same “Mean Angelina has blocked the kids from their Pitt relatives” storyline. Only People Mag contacted Angelina’s people, and they including Team Jolie’s response:

Brad Pitt’s six children have not spent much time with his parents in recent years, a source close to Pitt’s family tells PEOPLE. The insider notes that his six kids with ex Angelina Jolie have not spent “extensive time” with Pitt’s parents in over five years. Their kids have extremely limited contact with the grandparents, cousins and relatives on Pitt’s side, adds the source.

The actor, 60, shares six kids with Jolie: Maddox, 23 Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 16. Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, and the former couple has since undergone a contentious legal battle over finances and custody of their kids,

In response to these claims, a Jolie source tells PEOPLE, “Angelina has not blocked any communications or relationships; rather she encourages them to be in touch with their grandparents.”

“The kids send cards and gifts to their grandparents every year for their birthdays and Christmas,” says the source.

[From People]

Just so we’re clear, Brad has spent the past eight years fighting a PR war for his reputation (not his children) while simultaneously continuing his financial and emotional abuse of Angelina. He has never prioritized the kids’ health and safety, and has spent a lot of time and resources smearing his children’s mother. And yet, according to Angelina’s side, Angelina has still encouraged the kids to speak to Brad’s parents and the extended Pitt family. And it’s taken eight years for Brad to try this attack line: mean Angelina has kept the kids away from the whole Pitt family! It’s also bizarre that they ran to People Magazine after few American outlets picked up the Pitts’ leaks to the Mail.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.