Inside Brad Pitt’s strained relationship with his six kids

When Brad and Angelina fell in love on the set of Mr & Mrs Smith in 2003 and began dating after his 2005 divorce from Jennifer Aniston, the heartthrob actor gladly became part of her ever-growing family.

He adopted Angelina’s two kids at the time, Maddox and Zahara, legally becoming their father; in 2006, their biological daughter Shiloh was born, closely followed by the couple’s adoption of son Pax from Vietnam. The couple rounded out their brood with twins Knox and Vivienne, who arrived in 2008.

From the beginning, Brad relished his role as a father of six kids; he told Psychologies Magazine in 2014 that he felt like “the richest man alive” since becoming a dad. “Being a father has changed me on so many levels and made me more generous and alive. I see my children as an essential part of my life. I love being a father and all the responsibilities that entails.”

He continued: “I worry about them all the time. That’s the emotional bond and responsibility that sweeps over you when you have a family to look after.

“I care about them more than I care about myself, which I think is the real definition of love. You see past yourself and become more generous and giving, and wanting only the best for your family.”

Despite Brad and Angelina topping Hollywood’s A-List, the actor revealed his relatable parenting style to USA Weekend: “Angie and I do everything we can to carve out some semblance of normalcy for them, to recreate the kinds of moments that were special for us. It’s not unusual for the kids to be covered in paint. We have mud fights. It’s chaos from morning until the lights go out, and sometimes after that.”

With so many kids, chaos is a given, but the Bullet Train actor deemed himself the “disciplinarian” of the family in an interview with The Telegraph Magazine. “I am [a disciplinarian] with the boys,” he said.

“Girls do no wrong, so I don’t have to be. I feel like my job is to show them around, help them find what they want to do with their life, put as many things in front of them, and pull them back when they get out of line so they know who they are.”

The Jolie-Pitts often made appearances on the red carpet, delighting fans with their seemingly tight bond. Sadly, the family unit shattered in 2016 when Brangelina announced their shock split; this came after reports of an alleged incident as the family travelled on a plane from France to California.

Court documents obtained by Page Six saw Angelina claim that Brad “traumatised” his children with behaviour that allegedly included physical assault and emotional abuse.

While Brad’s representative told Page Six that her claims were “completely untrue”, the FBI investigated him for child abuse and eventually dropped the case with no criminal charges pursued. Brad has not been photographed with his children since.

Angelina adopted Maddox in 2002 from Cambodia, long before she and Brad fell in love. The actor adopted Angelina’s eldest in 2006, along with Zahara, her daughter. Growing up, Maddox, now 23, and Brad were reportedly close, which makes it all the sadder that the pair have seemingly parted ways post-divorce.

The eldest Jolie-Pitt attends university in Seoul, and while his mother dropped him off on his first day and beamed with pride as he settled into his young adult life, his father was notably absent on the special day.

In a video obtained by InTouch, Maddox was asked if his dad would visit him in South Korea now that he has started a new life there at university. He simply replied: “I don’t know about that, what’s happening.” A reporter then asked if his relationship with his father could ever be repaired, to which Maddox diplomatically and noncommittally replied, “Whatever happens, happens”, indicating that he isn’t as close to his dad as before.

As Brangelina continued to fight over their divorce proceedings, including the fate of their shared French vineyard, their children were inevitably dragged into the fray.

According to court documents obtained by US Weekly, three of the Jolie-Pitt kids wanted to testify against Brad in 2020; it is assumed to be the three eldest kids, including Maddox. The judge denied the request, but it paints a picture of a father and son with a deep fracture in their relationship.

Nineteen-year-old Zahara is Angelina’s second child, adopted in 2005 from Ethiopia. Brad was by his partner’s side when she adopted Zahara, but he didn’t officially become her father until a year later.

Brad and Zahara also seem to have a fractured relationship; the teen dropped ‘Pitt’ from her name when she introduced herself at a function with her new sorority. “My name is Zahara Marley Jolie,” she said in a video from the event. “And [I] landed all the way from the Golden State in the city full of angels: Los Angeles, California.”

Zahara attends Spelman College in Atlanta; famous alums from the sorority include Kamala Harris and Wanda Sykes.

When asked on the red carpet for the premiere of Bullet Train what he thought of his daughter’s choice of college, Brad expressed how proud he was of his second child.

“She’s so smart,” he said. “She’s going to flourish even more at college. It’s an exciting and beautiful time to find her own way and pursue her interests. I’m so proud.”

“Where does the time go?” he mused in the interview. “They grow up too fast. It brings a tear to the eye.”

Shiloh is Angelina and Brad’s first biological child, whom they welcomed in 2006. While she was close to her dad growing up, she filed to legally change her last name simply to Jolie on her 18th birthday in May this year.

Despite the blow, Brad still gushed about his daughter to Entertainment Tonight when shown videos of the teen dancing.

“It brings a tear to the eye,” he told the publication, calling Shiloh “very beautiful”. “I don’t know where she got it from,” he added. “I’m Mr. Two-Left-Feet here. I love when they find their own way, find things they are interested in and flourish.”

Shiloh went viral for dancing up a storm in a video from her dance school choreographed to Doja Cat’s Vegas.

The couple adopted Pax from Vietnam in 2007, and he has perhaps been the most vocal about his soured relationship with his father.

In 2020, Pax posted a damning message on his private Instagram account for Father’s Day about his estranged dad, who he hadn’t been pictured with since 2016.

He posted a picture of Brad accepting the Oscar for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, captioning it: “Happy Father’s Day to this world-class [expletive]!! You time and time again prove yourself to be a terrible and despicable person.”

“You have no consideration or empathy toward your four youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence,” the 20-year-old continued. “You have made the lives of those closest to me a constant hell.”

“You will never understand the damage you have done to my family because you’re incapable of doing so. You may tell yourself and the world whatever you want, but the truth will come to light someday. So, Happy Father’s Day, you [expletive] awful human being!!!”

Brangelina’s twins were born in 2008, rounding out their brood. While Knox and Vivienne, now 16, are his biological children, they are also estranged from their dad, with his youngest daughter opting to drop ‘Pitt’ from her last name on a playbill for The Outsiders musical, which she produced with her mother.

While Brad hasn’t been pictured with his kids in eight years, he still speaks highly of them, dedicating his Oscar win to his brood, saying in his speech, “This is for my kids who colour everything I do. I adore you.”

The actor is evidently working towards a better relationship with his children; he told GQ in 2017 how his own childhood affected his parenting style.

“I grew up with a father-knows-best/war mentality… instead of really knowing the man and his own self-doubt and struggles,” he said.

“And it’s hit me smack in the face with our divorce: I gotta be more. I gotta be more for them. I have to show them. And I haven’t been great at it.”