Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt's friend George Clooney did not counsel him to save his marriage to now-estranged wife Angelina Jolie. Above, the "Fury" actor is pictured Nov. 23, 2015. Getty Images

The Tuesday announcement that movie stars Angeline Jolie and Brad Pitt were planning to divorce has resulted in much speculation about their relationship, including what role George Clooney may have played in trying to save it. But contrary to a report in a celebrity gossip publication, Clooney said he did not counsel the “Allied” actor to save his marriage.

Clooney said he first found out about the impending split when a reporter told him Tuesday.

“I didn’t know that. Wow,” he told CNN at a United Nations roundtable about the refugee crisis. “I feel very sorry then. That’s a sad story and unfortunate for a family. It’s an unfortunate story about a family. I feel very sorry to hear that. This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

His statement seems to contradicts what Hollywood Life reported. “He’s been advising Brad to do whatever he can to save the marriage. He thinks their marriage can be saved,” a source said. “Brad is leaning on George for support right now.”

Gossip Cop, a website that regularly debunks celebrity rumors, slammed the story from Hollywood Life. “The site was either told made-up information from its ‘source,’ or outright fabricated the details itself,” Gossip Cop wrote Wednesday.

Jolie, 41, wants full custody of the six children she shares with Pitt, 52. She asked a judge to give him visitation rights, but the custody proposal didn’t sit well with Pitt. He reportedly wants joint custody of Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne and Knox.

Pitt said he was “saddened” by the divorce plans, but what mattered to him the most was the welfare of his children. “I am very saddened by this, but what matters most now is the well-being of our kids,” he said in a statement to People Magazine Tuesday. “I kindly ask the press to give them the space they deserve during this challenging time.”

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