Who are Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s children? A look at their six 'very individual human beings'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Angelina Jolie and her ex Brad Pitt's messy divorce just got uglier. It gained the attention of social media and fans especially when their six incredible children were dragged into the mess. Jolie and Pitt were legally declared single in 2019, but custody agreements for their minor children, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne are yet to be ironed out. They also share sons Maddox and Pax, who are legally adults.
In the middle of custodial fights and arguments regarding property a highly-controversial lawsuit has been filed by Jolie on October 4, Tuesday. It alleged that he had “choked one of the children and struck another in the face” and “poured beer on Jolie” during the flight. While one of the kids attempted to "verbally" protect Jolie, Pitt "lunged at his own child." this incident happened on a flight from France to California in 2016 while the couple's six children were with them. "Some of the children pleaded with Pitt to stop. They were all frightened. Many were crying," it stated. As per Rolling Stone, the leaked transcripts provided a much more terrifying picture of how Pitt allegedly made Jolie and the children feel extremely scared. However, who are the couple's six kids? Many of us know them fleetingly from reports. Read on to find out more about the couple and their children amidst the bombshell lawsuit.
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How it started for Brad and Angelina
The actors first met while on the sets of the spy thriller 'Mr & Mrs Smith', in which the former couple portrays married assassins. Jolie and ex-husband Billy Bob Thorton had just finalized their divorce at the time, while Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were still married. Pitt and Jolie exchanged vows on August 23, 2014 in front of 20 of their closest friends and family members and some of their children. The family's chateau, Château Miraval, in the French village of Correns, had a chapel for the extremely private wedding ceremony. According to People magazine, Shiloh and Knox carried the rings as Jolie walked down the aisle with her two oldest boys, Maddox and Pax.
Jolie had remarked that having such a large family and a multicultural upbringing has had a profoundly positive impact on her children. "They're pretty great people and because there's so many of them, I think they've had a very significant effect on each other. It's not like I'm the head of anything. I'm very honest with my kids. And I'm very human with my kids," Jolie said, according to People.
"I have six very individual human beings in my home. I am so excited about all the different stages and feelings and curiosities that they go through. Why wouldn't you be? We're supposed to help them figure out who they are. And you can't figure out who they are if you don't enthusiastically develop with them," she added.
Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt, 21
Maddox Chivan, Pitt and Jolie's oldest child, was born in Cambodia's Battambang on August 5, 2001. Jolie, who had previously fallen in love with the nation while filming ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’ in 2000, adopted him after he spent the first seven months of his life in an orphanage. Jolie told People magazine that she only went to one orphanage but that she immediately connected with Maddox when she first saw him resting in a box dangling from the ceiling.
Growing older, Maddox developed a growing interest in both Jolie's humanitarian efforts and her career as a director. ‘First They Killed My Father’ was Jolie's cinematic adaptation of her friend Loung Ung's book about the Khmer Rouge regime's genocide in Cambodia. He served as the film's executive producer when he was 15 years old. Maddox started attending Yonsei University in South Korea in 2019 and had to take classes online during the Covid pandemic, but he was eventually allowed to return to school where he is studying biochemistry and trying to learn Korean.
It was also alleged that Pitt shares a tenuous relationship with his eldest son Maddox after he reportedly hit him during an argument with Jolie back in 2016. He even testified against his dad in their custody battle in 2021, reports US magazine. “He doesn’t use Pitt as his last name on documents that aren’t legal and instead uses Jolie. Maddox wants to legally change his last name to Jolie, which Angelina has said she doesn’t support," states a source.
Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt, 17
When she was seven months old, Jolie adopted Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt who was born on January 8, 2005, from Hawassa, Ethiopia. After Maddox expressed an interest in visiting Africa, Jolie took him to Zahara's orphanage for the first time. Maddox met the young girl and immediately saw that she needed care. Jolie was accompanied by Pitt when they later went back to finalize the adoption. After receiving treatment for a salmonella at a hospital in New York City, Zahara fully recovered and was prepared to start a new life with her family.
Zahara has since had the chance to travel with her family all over the world, returning to Ethiopia for a special trip in 2019. Sahle-Work Zewde, the nation's first female president, hosted a meeting with Jolie and Zahara during their trip, during which they spoke about Ethiopian history and culture and other pressing matters such as education and the management of drug-resistant tuberculosis. In the same year, Robert Procop, a jeweler, and Zahara collaborated to develop their Zahara Collection jewelry line. The Los Angeles-based House of Ruth Shelters, which offers temporary lodging for battered women and children, received full benefit from all funds from the collection.
Jolie revealed on Instagram in July that Zahara will be starting at Spelman College in fall. Zahara was dropped off at Spelman College by Jolie in August. The mother and daughter met with Dr Helene Gayle, president of the institution, and Darryl Holloman, vice-president for student affairs. Holloman posted to Instagram documenting the meeting.
Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, 16
Pitt and Jolie announced that the actress was expecting her first child in 2006. At Cottage Hospital in Swakopmund, Namibia on May 27, their daughter Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt was born. A year after Shiloh's birth, Jolie claimed the young child reminded her a lot of herself and had quickly assimilated into her family.
Growing up, Shiloh has participated more and more in her mother's humanitarian endeavors. They have since gone all over the world together after she asked to go on a journey with her mother when she was just nine. The trip was to the Middle East in observance of World Refugee Day. Shiloh has since joined Jolie on countless red carpet appearances, including various charity functions. She even pushed Jolie to take on her role in ‘The One and Only Ivan’ because the two have such a close relationship.
Shiloh spends a lot of her free time at Millennium Dance Complex, a prestigious dance studio in Los Angeles, practicing her moves. Although she hasn't publicly expressed her love for dancing, she has been in a number of studio-shared videos.
Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt, 18
Pax was born in Vietnam on November 29, 2003, and spent his early years in an orphanage outside Ho Chi Minh City. When Jolie went to the country with Maddox in 2007, he was adopted. He was three at that time. Since Vietnamese laws prohibit unmarried couples from adopting, Jolie took a lot of effort to adopt the young child alone at the time. However, Pitt later formally adopted him in 2008.
In the years that followed his adoption, Jolie revealed that Pax had grown close to Maddox and was content with his large family. Prior to Pax's seventh birthday, the family visited Vietnam once more in 2011.
While Pax stays low-key and keeps out of the limelight, he provided the voice of Yoo for a brief cameo in Jolie's 2016 film 'Kung Fu Panda 3'. He also helped Jolie and Maddox with the filming of 'First They Killed My Father' as a photographer.
Knox Léon Jolie-Pitt, 14
When Jolie appeared at the Independent Spirit Awards in 2008 with a baby bump, Jolie and Pitt announced that the actress was expecting again. Knox Léon and Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt were twins who were born to Jolie on July 12 in Nice, France. Weighting in at 5.3 pounds, Knox arrived before his sister. The boy's name was later revealed to be a tribute to Pitt's grandfather, Hal Knox Hillhouse.
Despite having voiced Ku Ku in 'Kung Fu Panda 3', Knox has spent much of his life away from the spotlight.
Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt, 14
On July 12, 2008, Vivienne Marcheline, Knox's fraternal twin, arrived exactly a minute after her sibling. She was given her name in honor of Jolie's maternal grandmother, with whom she shares a first name.
While Vivienne, like her brother Knox, has mostly grown up out of the spotlight, she has already made her on-screen debut. She performed the role of Aurora, the younger version of Elle Fanning's character in the 2014 film 'Maleficent.'