Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt divorce updates: joint statement released by estranged couple's camps

Estranged couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt came to a joint decision about their divorce for the sake of their children.

In a statement released to The Associated Press on Monday night, the former couple announced that they opt to keep the upcoming details of their divorce proceedings out of the public's eye with the help of a private judge.

"The parties and their counsel have signed agreements to preserve the privacy rights of their children and family by keeping all court documents confidential and engaging a private judge to make any necessary legal decisions and to facilitate the expeditious resolution of any remaining issues," the joint statement read as reported by CNN. "The parents are committed to act as a united front to effectuate recovery and reunification."

The joint statement came a month after Pitt's request for an emergency hearing to ask the court to seal all documents and proceedings about the divorce had been denied. The "Allied' star claimed that he filed the petition to protect their six children from the negative effects of the intense media coverage of the divorce. During that time, Jolie's camp claimed that the actor was only thinking about himself and not his minor children from the public's negative perception.

The couple reportedly started their relationship in 2005, shortly after Pitt and ex-wife Jennifer Aniston were officially divorced. They first announced their engagement in April 2012, seven years after their relationship reportedly began. The two were married two years after in a private ceremony in France, where only a handful of friends and their six children Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh, Pax, Knox and Vivienne were in attendance.

Jolie filed for divorce due to irreconcilable differences on September 2016, as well as the sole custody of the kids. But the couple is currently using an informal custody setup in which Jolie continues to have the physical custody of the kids, while Pitt is granted some supervised visits.