Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were once the iconic power couple of ‘00s Hollywood. But all that seems like ancient history now.
Divorce is always made more complicated when kids are involved, and Brangelina is no exception.
The former couple shares six kids together: Maddox Chivan, Pax Thien, Zahara Marley, Shiloh Nouvel, Knox Leon, and Vivienne Marcheline.
Thankfully, they’re a very tight-knit bunch and remain close despite everything that’s happening to their family.
WATCH NOW: Angelina Jolie on how she survived split from Brad Pitt.
In an interview with US Vogue in September 2023, Angelina gave fans a rare insight into her experience with motherhood, as well as how her children had “saved” her from “darker” places.
“I was 26 when I became a mother. My entire life changed. Having children saved me – and taught me to be in this world differently,” the 48-year-old told the publication.
“I think, recently, I would’ve gone under in a much darker way had I not wanted to live for them. They’re better than me because you want your children to be.”
Scroll on to read more about Brad and Angelina’s kids, from their birth to what they are up to now!
A Brief History Of Brangelina
It all started on the set of 2005 film Mr & Mrs Smith. At the time, Brad was still married to Jennifer Aniston but sparks flew between the future lovers.
Angelina was eventually accused of breaking up the couple, becoming the reason for Brad and Jennifer’s divorce!
But Angelina claimed otherwise, telling the media: “I wouldn’t be attracted to a man who would cheat on his wife.”
She says that she and Brad only started dating when Brad was finally divorced in October 2005.
Brangelina became inseparable once they were an official couple, though they only publicly acknowledged their relationship in 2006 when they announced that they were pregnant with their first child together.
Before Brad, Angelina Jolie had been married twice: her first husband was British actor Jonny Lee Miller in 1996, and her second was Billy Bob Thornton in 2000. Angelina was actually supposed to adopt her first child with Billy Bob, but she ended up adopting as a single mum due to their abrupt divorce.
All About The Jolie-Pitt Kids
Angelina Jolie adopted three of the children as a single mum, giving them her last name.
However, they would eventually be adopted as Brad Pitt’s children as well, changing their last names to Jolie-Pitt.
While Brad and Angelina eventually ended up with six kids after the birth of their twins in 2008, they waited until 2014 to officially tie the knot.
Unfortunately, the marriage ultimately ended in divorce just two years later, with Angelina citing “irreconcilable differences” and requesting sole custody of her children.
“This decision was made for the health of the family,” her representative told US Weekly in a statement at the time.
Initially, Angelina received full custody, with Brad given visitation rights while he continued to fight for joint physical and legal custody.
In the latest update from March 2024, Brad is reportedly no longer seeking shared custody.
Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt
The eldest of the Jolie-Pitt brood is Maddox Chivan.
Born on August 5, 2001, in Cambodia, Maddox is currently 22 years old and at college!
He’s studying biochemistry halfway around the world in Yonsei University, South Korea.
Angelina Jolie was still married to Billy Bob Thornton in 2001, which was when she first met Maddox in an orphanage in Battambang, Cambodia.
She was filming Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and she and Billy Bob applied to adopt the then three-month-old baby together.
However, Angelina ended up adopting as a single parent, with the adoption being finalised on March 10, 2002.
Maddox is very close to his mum and has even worked with her professionally!
When Angelina directed the 2017 film First They Killed My Father, a biopic set in 1975 during the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, Maddox worked as a producer!
He was also credited as a trainee in the 2015 film By The Sea, which starred both of his famous parents.
Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt
Pax Thien was actually adopted last, being the third of Angelina’s adopted children after Maddox and Zahara.
He was already four years old when he was adopted, being born on November 29, 2003, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Pax is now 20 years old.
Like his adopted siblings, he started out as a Jolie even though Angelina and Brad were already a public couple when he was adopted in 2007.
This was due to Vietnamese adoption regulations stating that unmarried couples cannot co-adopt. Pax eventually became a Jolie-Pitt when he was also adopted by Brad in 2008.
Pax isn’t fond of the spotlight, often choosing to avoid the cameras whenever he can. During the 2020 premiere of his mum’s latest movie, Pax actually skipped the red carpet photos, only posing with his famous family outside the theatre.
Pax graduated from college in 2021 and chose not to attend his graduation ceremony to avoid paparazzi.
Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt
Zahara Marley was adopted before Pax: she was adopted by Angelina when she was six months old on July 6, 2005.
She was born in Awasa, Ethiopia on January 8, 2005, making her 19 years old right now.
When Angelina adopted Zahara, she thought that Zahara was an orphan. However, in 2007, it was discovered that Zahara’s birth mother, Mentewab Dawit Lebiso, was still alive.
Zahara had been conceived through rape, and when she was born, Mentewab couldn’t afford to keep her. She’s very happy and grateful that Angelina had adopted Zahara since her baby was given a much better life.
Out of all her siblings, Zahara is the one who’s most interested in a possible career in the limelight.
She idolises Lupita Nyong’o, and she also wants to be a supermodel! She even designed a jewellery collection which she wore to the premiere of her mum’s film, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
The now adult has also just finished her first year of study at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia – a historically Black liberal arts school.
Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt
Shiloh Nouvel was born in Swakopmund, Namibia on May 27, 2006, and is currently 17 years old.
Shiloh was born in Namibia because Brad and Angelina wanted to escape the media frenzy that surrounded them. Brangelina further took control of the situation by selling the first photos of Shiloh instead of letting paparazzi take them. The millions earned from the sale of baby Shiloh’s photographs were all donated to UNICEF.
When Shiloh was four years old, Angelina revealed that Shiloh identified as a boy. It was further revealed later on that Shiloh actually prefers to be called John. Both parents have been very supportive, allowing young Shilou Pitt (or John, as they prefer to be called) to express themself as they see fit.
Knox Leon Jolie-Pitt And Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt
During the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Angelina confirmed that she was expecting twins.
The twins were born on July 12, 2008 in Nice, France. Knox Leon was born first, with Vivienne Marcheline following immediately after.
They are currently 16 years old.
Vivienne and Knox being born in France was apparently no secret to the media, as reporters and photographers were camped outside the hospital in hopes of capturing the babies on film.
However, like with Shiloh, Brangelina took control of the situation and sold the twin’s baby pictures for charity. They were sold for $USD 14 million, making them the most expensive celebrity photographs ever!
Both twins have family history in their names: Marcheline was the name of Angelina’s mum, who had passed away a year before the twins were born, while Knox Leon is named after Brad’s grandfather and Angelina’s great-grandfather.
What’s Next For Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt’s Kids?
While Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s children usually accompany them to movie premieres, they still lead relatively private lives – Angelina revealed that none of the kids want to be actors!
The Jolie-Pitt kids have appeared in dozens of cameo roles in their parents’ films throughout the years, but none of them are keen to follow in their footsteps as Hollywood superstars. However, they do take after their mum in their love for humanitarian work.
We’re all definitely excited to see what Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s kids have in store for us as they grow older and develop passions of their own!
