They walked the red carpet together to raucous fanfare, Angelina and her youngest son, Knox, making a rare public appearance at the 2024 Governors Awards in Los Angeles which celebrates awards conferred by the Academy’s (Oscars) Board of Governors. Jolie wore a vintage bohemian gown from The Knit Vintage, while Knox suited up in a classic tuxedo to accompany his mum on her informal promotional tour for new film Maria, which debuted to Oscar buzz during its Venice Film Festival premiere in the summer.

Knox, now 16, hasn’t been seen on a red carpet in three years. He follows sister Shiloh, 18, who similarly joined her mother on the red carpet back in April while attending the Broadway premiere for The Outsiders. What’s behind the steady introduction of Brangelina’s brood to public life? Well, if you can believe it, the kids are all grown up. Teen twins Knox and Vivienne are the youngest of Jolie and Brad Pitt’s children, with Shiloh now 18 and Zaraha, 19, said to be thriving in college. Pax, 20, and Maddox, 23 are both out of education and embarking on their own careers.

While Jolie recently insisted that none of the children want to be movie stars (‘They’re especially shy, very private people,’ she told E! News), they all already have acting and producing credits on their CVs – with bit parts in Maleficent and voice acting roles in Kung Fu Panda. That’s just the life of a Nepo baby, assisting on blockbusters is to them what babysitting cousins for an extra tenner was to us.

In fact, Jolie brings at least one or two of her children into every one of her projects, often behind the camera, with Maddox and Pax in assistant director roles on Maria while Shiloh supported production for The Outsiders. ‘They’ve done that quite a few times, and I think that’s good for them,’ Jolie told The Hollywood Reporter. ‘Pax tends to do stills and he gets brought in, and [Maria director] Pablo [Larrain] was wonderful and recognized that he was good at it.’

For Zahara, life is a series of college parties and sorority events now in her second year at Spelman College, Atlanta, as it should be! She joined Alpha Kappa Alpha, the historic first Black sorority, in November 2023 and was captured on camera recently gleefully performing choreography with her fellow students. It went viral on TikTok, of course – that’s the part of Nepo baby life we don’t envy, imagine your university nights out being documented for the world, getting low to Usher with concealer lipstick smeared and a Jagerbomb in hand? No thanks!

The twins are still in school and remain the last of the children to keep their fathers surname (the four eldest kids have legally dropped Pitt). That’s the other side of this very Hollywood family that’s less glamorous – behind closed doors the children are said to deeply unhappy with the now eight-year-long divorce that saw worrying family issues made public when Jolie accused Pitt of physically and verbally abusing her and the children in court documents – allegations he denies. The divorce proceedings stalled when Pitt disputed Jolie’s sale of her shares in a vineyard they part own – a case that’s now set for trial next year.

The stress of the court case is taking its toll on Jolie, with friends now fearing for her health and the children increasingly frustrated.

‘The kids are very protective towards their mom, Maddox and Pax especially, and it’s well established at this point that they support her when it comes to this saga,’ an insider told Grazia. ‘It pains them to see how much suffering Angelina has been through and they’ve made their position abundantly clear as far as which side they’re ultimately on. Angelina has been very careful not to burden the kids with specifics or try to turn them against their father per say. She’s adhered to all court mandates and given them every opportunity to see Brad whenever they wished to. But at this point they are all very much “Team Mom”, that’s just the plain reality of the situation.’

The recent ruling will see Hollywood’s longest divorce extend far into 2025, a decision that can’t be making things at home any easier. ‘Brad does still get custody visits with the twins and occasional time with Shiloh but nothing like as frequently as he would like,’ the source continued. ‘It’s beyond painful for him but as long as this war rages between him and Angelina it seems this is the reality he’s got to live with.’

For Knox, a night on the red carpet with mum then seems like a deserved escape then! One can only hope the trial next year doesn’t turn into a public circus that deepens family wounds.