Signs Pitt's Relationship With His Children Is Crumbling
Courtroom showdowns, name changes, and a Father's Day put-down for the ages: Here's what we know about the dramatic fall-out between Brad Pitt and his children.
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00:00Courtroom showdowns, name changes, and a Father's Day put down for the ages.
00:05Here's what we know about the dramatic fallout between Brad Pitt and his children.
00:10In 2016, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were flying on a private aircraft with their children
00:15when an argument broke out. According to TMZ's report of the incident,
00:20Maddox Jolie-Pitt tried to step in and defend Jolie. The exact details are unclear,
00:25but somehow Pitt and Maddox made physical contact. Pitt may have been drunk at the time.
00:30In the aftermath, an insider told TMZ that Jolie intended to divorce Pitt to keep their children
00:35safe.
00:36We will always be a family, and we will get through this time and
00:41hopefully be a stronger family for it."
00:43Pitt subsequently denied claims of child abuse during the plane incident,
00:47and an investigation from the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services
00:51and the FBI found no evidence of abuse on that day.
00:55However, Jolie's accusations in the FBI report painted a grim picture,
01:00suggesting Pitt had engaged in a physical and verbal altercation with Jolie,
01:04with at least some of their children witnessing it.
01:07Nevertheless, back in 2016, an insider told NBC News,
01:11"[He is emphatic that it did not reach the level of physical abuse,
01:15that no one was physically harmed. He did not hit his child in the face in any way.
01:20He put his hands on him, yes, because the confrontation was spiraling out of control."
01:25Meanwhile, the FBI report read, in part,
01:28"[The husband allegedly physically and verbally assaulted plaintiff and the children,
01:32who have experienced lasting physical and mental trauma as a result of the assault."
01:37Angelina Jolie's countersuit regarding the sale of her and Brad Pitt's winery shed new light on
01:42the plane incident, alleging that two of the Jolie-Pitt children were involved in the physical
01:47altercation that day. The filing also claimed that Pitt had been physically abusive of Jolie
01:52before then, adding that she finally decided to leave when the kids got involved.
01:57In 2019, a source interviewed by Us Weekly explained that Maddox, Jolie, Pitt, and Pitt
02:02had yet to reconcile. Discussing the estrangement behind Pitt and Maddox, they said,
02:08"[Maddox hasn't been receptive. And for Brad, it's a tremendous loss."
02:12Other sources that spoke to Us Weekly in 2024
02:16revealed more about how some of Pitt's older children reportedly feel about him.
02:20One source said,
02:21"[They've struggled to forgive and connect with Brad since the divorce.]
02:25The source added that it was difficult for the kids to see their parents at odds.
02:29Reportedly, Maddox and Pax Jolie-Pitt don't speak with Pitt at all."
02:33Another source said,
02:35"[Sadly, their rift has only widened over time.
02:38The boys found it difficult to reconcile with Pitt despite his
02:41repeated apologies and efforts to rebuild trust."
02:45And yet another source said,
02:47"[Brad's relationship with Maddox and Pax is non-existent at this point,
02:51and he barely, if ever, hears from Zahara. Maddox was very affected by that incident,
02:56and he's taken it upon himself to be Angelina's protector."
03:00"'When your children are your best friends, it's a nice life.'"
03:03One key sign suggesting that Brad Pitt's relationship with his children isn't great
03:07is the fact that many of them have chosen to drop his last name from their own names.
03:12For instance, when Zahara Jolie-Pitt pledged the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority in 2023,
03:18she called herself Zahara Marley Jolie.
03:20Additionally, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt filed a request to drop Pitt's surname from her
03:25legal name on her 18th birthday in May 2024. According to an insider speaking to Us Weekly,
03:31Shiloh hired her own lawyer and paid for it herself.
03:34The youngest member of the Jolie-Pitt family, Vivian Jolie-Pitt, worked as an assistant and
03:39was credited as a co-producer when Angelina Jolie produced the musical adaptation of
03:44The Outsiders on Broadway in 2024. In the official playbill for the musical,
03:50Vivian was listed as Vivian Jolie. In June 2024, an insider told Us Weekly,
03:56After years of legal battles, Pitt still isn't ready to give up on his children,
04:00but knowing his children are dropping his last name is upsetting.
04:04In 2023, the Daily Mail shared screenshots of a years-old Instagram story the outlet claimed
04:10had been posted on Pax Jolie-Pitt's private Instagram account. The then-16-year-old Pax
04:15didn't seem to hold back at criticizing Brad Pitt in an angry Father's Day 2020 rant.
04:21The post showed a photo of Pitt winning an Oscar for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
04:25The caption read,
04:26"'Happy Father's Day to this world-class a*****. You have no consideration or empathy
04:31toward your four youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence.
04:35You will never understand the damage you have done to my family because you are incapable
04:39of doing so.'" There hasn't been any confirmation from Pax or any of his family members that the
04:44post was really made by him. After the screenshots were shared, a source for The Sun said that Pitt
04:50and his three youngest children were still in contact and added,
04:53He still sees Shiloh and the twins whenever he can, though not as often as he would like.
04:58I don't want to, at this point, to be running from anything."
05:03Reportedly, Pitt had to plan visits with them ahead of time and needed to be supervised when
05:07seeing them. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's custody battle began soon after the 2016 plane incident.
05:15During court proceedings in 2021, then-19-year-old Maddox Jolie-Pitt testified in court.
05:21An insider told Us Weekly,
05:23Maddox has already given testimony as an adult in the ongoing custody dispute,
05:28and it wasn't very flattering toward Brad. They also said that Maddox only used Jolie-Pitt as
05:33his last name on legal documents. At the time, Jolie reportedly didn't want him to drop Pitt
05:38from his name. Later in 2021, Us Weekly shared court documents from 2020 stating that three of
05:45the Jolie-Pitt kids reportedly wanted to testify against Pitt, too. The documents read,
05:50"[The children whose custody is at issue are old enough to understand what is going on.
05:55The trial is necessarily going to impact them emotionally."
05:59Jolie also apparently wanted the judge and her custody trial removed
06:03since he had links to Pitt's legal team outside of the case. In 2024,
06:08Jolie was reportedly granted primary custody of the children who were still minors.
06:12A source told Us Weekly that Pitt was okay with the deal because it wasn't the full custody Jolie
06:17was gunning for. According to a different insider, Pitt will have visitation rights
06:22and is hoping to form a better relationship with his children.
06:26If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse,
06:29please contact the Child Help National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD
06:351-800-422-4453 or contact their live chat services.