In a clandestine phone call placed last week, Brad Pitt counseled ex-wife Jennifer Aniston through her recent split with rocker John Mayer.

Unbeknowest to partner Angelina Jolie, the exes reconnected during a tender heart-to-heart that occured when Jen called her former mother-in-law, Jane Pitt, at Château Miraval, where she’s staying with Brad and Angelina Jolie. Jennifer tried venting to Jane about her painful split with Mayer, but the elder Mrs. Pitt thought the former Friends star would gain more solace from speaking with Brad.

“Jen still calls Jane all the time, and she really needed someone to talk to,” an insider tells Star Magazine. “And she started telling Jane about her split with John.”

“At first, he didn’t know what to say,” says the insider. “But he listened very intently and tried to comfort her. He was very patient and attentive.”