How Brad Pitt is a changed man after Angelina Jolie split (exclusive)

Nearly a year and a half after Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie announced their shocking split, a source tells ET that Pitt is in a much better place and has been for the last couple of months.

According to the source, Pitt has been going out more, enjoying time with close friends, after previously remaining extremely private. Earlier this month, Pitt was spotted having dinner with Sean Penn and Bradley Cooper in Los Angeles.

“He has made changes in his life since the split,” the source says. “When they first split he spent a lot of time at home and was often very down about what was going on. He was a homebody for many months, but in the last month or two, he’s been going out more. He enjoys going out to eat with close friends.”

Still, Pitt remains extremely discreet about his outings, and especially when it comes to his dating life.

“He’s very private about who he’s seeing, but he does continue to casually date," our source says. "The women he sees are not in the public eye."

A second source tells ET that Pitt definitely isn't ready to settle down any time soon.

"He is in no way ready to get serious with anyone," the source says. "He invites his dates over to his house and never takes women out in public. While it's been a year and a half [after their split], it still feels too soon to him."

"Dating hasn't been a priority because Brad wants to spend more time with the children," the source adds. "He has been working on himself. Brad has been spending a lot of time learning to play guitar and hanging with musician friends."

Our original source echoes the sentiment, noting that Pitt's main focus is always his six kids with Jolie -- 16-year-old Maddox, 14-year-old Pax, 13-year-old Zahara, 11-year-old Shiloh and 9-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.

“The children continue to live with Angelina full-time, but they visit Brad at his house a few days a week," the source says. "They don’t spend full days with him, just a few hours, and they’re either accompanied by bodyguards or their nannies."

"He loves those kids," the source adds. "They have been and always will be his first priority.”

In January, a source told ET that 54-year-old Pitt has been on numerous dates since splitting from Jolie in 2016. Meanwhile, the source said that 42-year-old Jolie is also "focused on her children and their needs," and wasn't pursuing any romantic relationships at the time.