Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt Reportedly Reconciled Months Before Angelina Jolie Filed for Divorce

Since Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt officially ended their marriage in 2005, many assumed they had not been on speaking terms. But that status of their relationship allegedly changed just months before Angelina Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016.

A source recently told Us Weekly that Pitt reached out to Aniston around May 2016 when her mother, Nancy Dow, passed away. “Brad contacted Jen after her mom died, and she was touched that he knew what a difficult time it was,” the insider revealed.

Reports have it that the Pitt and Aniston have since re-established their friendship especially when the former officially asked for her forgiveness for how things went down in 2005. “Brad wishes he'd handled the end of their marriage in a more thoughtful manner. He asked for Jen's forgiveness a long time ago, and she gave it,” an insider added.

Aniston and Pitt’s renewed friendship became more apparent when the latter attended the 50th birthday party of the “Dumplin’” star. There were insider claims that the two “hugged” and briefly talked during the celebration and that the actor had also sent his ex-wife a gift.

Someone close to Pitt told PEOPLE, however, that these are typical gestures people do friends celebrating their birthday. “He was invited, so why shouldn’t he go? He’s single and has no one to answer to. He and Jen spent many important and happy years together,” the same insider explained.

In the world of Hollywood gossips and rumors, it is safe to assume that the names of Aniston, Pitt, and Jolie will be intertwined in the same articles for the foreseeable future. And it obviously has something to do with the timing of the Pitt-Aniston divorce and when the Pitt-Jolie romance blossomed.

Jolie and Pitt both referred to “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” as the movie where they “fell in love” with each other during separate interviews with the New York Times and Rolling Stone (via Mirror), respectively, in 2008. The filming of the movie took place in January 2004 and ended in March 2005 while Aniston and Pitt announced their separation in January 2005.