Inside the private lives of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's six kids after Knox's rare appearance leaves dad 'suspicious'

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Published on Thursday, 28 November 2024 06:45

Written by Daily mail

       Despite their best efforts to live relatively quiet lives out of the spotlight, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's six children have been thrust into the public eye as their parents continue to battle it out in one of the most publicized celebrity divorces of all time. From the start, Angelina and Brad's romance completely captured the nation - thanks, in part, to rumors that Brad had cheated on Jennifer Aniston with Angelina. That's why it came as no shock that when the Hollywood power couple started having kids together, the public immediately had a fierce fascination with them.Over the course of their 11-year relationship, the Salt actress, 49, and the Moneyball alum, 60, welcomed three children and adopted another three, eventually becoming a family of eight. At first, the pair's six kids - Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh, Pax, Knox, and Vivienne - certainly did not shy away from the spotlight, as they often accompanied their parents to red carpet events and even made cameos in their films. Keeping them out of the public eye would have likely been an impossible task, as paparazzi practically followed the family's every move.And it only got worse after it was revealed in 2016 that Brad and Angelina had split after an alleged physical altercation while on a private flight with the kids. In the years that followed, the exes became embroiled in a nasty legal battle over the custody of their children, as well as the fate of their winery. But as the intimate details of their parents' nasty breakup came to light, Brad and Angelina's six children have started to shy away from the spotlight - aside from joining their mom occasionally on the red carpet. While it initially seemed they might follow in their parents' footsteps and become movie stars in their own right, most of them have now ended up leaving the film industry behind to pursue other endeavors. Some of them headed off to college, while others have showed interest in things like musical theater, DJing, and dancing. But as their parents' very-public spat has continuously dominated headlines, despite their best efforts to just be normal teens, they are often dragged into the drama. In the latest twist, a source told DailyMail.com that Brad believed Angelina was purposely 'trying to get under his skin' by 'using' their son, Knox, after he was spotted by her side at a recent event. It came after Angelina was accused of trying to drive a wedge between her estranged husband and their six kids. As Brad and Angelina's years-long court battle continues, FEMAIL has rounded up everything you need to know about their brood - from what the six children are up to now to what we know about their career paths and passions.
       Maddox, 23, entered the film industry as a kid, but recently took a step back to focus on his education. Angelina adopted her first child, a baby boy named Maddox, from Cambodia long before she even started dating Brad.The actress previously explained that she spent time in the country while filming Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in 2001, and instantly fell in love with it. One year later, she decided to return to the country to adopt a child, and as soon as she laid her eyes on Maddox, who was three months old at the time, she knew he was destined to be her son. The actress admitted on Inside the Actors Studio that she she spent years feeling like she 'shouldn't be somebody's mom,' but holding Maddox for the first time changed that. 'He opened his eyes and just stared at me for the longest time. I just stared at him, and I started crying, and he smiled,' she recalled. 'I hadn’t held children in my life, and I was always considered so dark, and I always had so many things that made me feel like maybe I shouldn’t be somebody’s mom... So, the fact that this little kid seemed at ease gave me the courage to feel like I could make him happy. And so we became a family right then.' Three years later, Angelina started dating Brad after they met on set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and soon after, he became Maddox's adoptive father. Maddox made his acting debut at age 12 with a small role in his dad's movie World War Z, and when he was 15, he served as the executive producer on Angelina's film First They Killed My Father, which was about Cambodian genocide. 'He goes back and forth [to Cambodia] a lot, but this would be over four months of just being in the country, really reading, listening, learning and absorbing all things about his culture and country [including] the very, very dark parts,' Angelina said to People in 2017 of working on the movie with her son. 'But Mad knows himself very well and if he said he was ready, I knew he knew.' She also told Elle in 2014 of her kids potentially following in her and her ex's footsteps, 'Brad and I made the decision that we wouldn't keep [our kids] from sets and the fun of making movies, but we wouldn't [glorify it either]. But I would really prefer they do something else.' While it seemed as though Maddox was going to become a movie star like his parents at first, the now 23-year-old has taken a step back from the film industry in recent years to instead focus on his education. He's graduated with a degree in biochemistry from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, in 2023. In addition, he speaks French, German, and Korean, and is passionate about flying. 'He’s quite capable and always takes me by surprise,' Angelina gushed in 2017. 'He’s been practicing flying, then they called me the other day and said, "So Mad can go solo," and I nearly dropped the phone.' It was reported back in July that Brad had 'virtually no contact' with his older children, including Maddox.Soon after she started dating Brad, Angelina adopted seven-month-old Zahara from Ethiopia. 'My son is in love with Africa, so he has been asking for an African brother or sister,' the actress said before the adoption. Brad accompanied Angelina on her first trip to meet Zahara, and while Angelina initially adopted her alone, he became her legal father less than a year later.
       Zahara, now 19, dabbled in fashion when she was younger, teaming up with Robert Procop to launch her own jewelry line when she was only 14 years old. In addition, the teen seems extremely passionate about philanthropy like her mother. She has accompanied the movie star on a series of humanitarian trips over the years - including one to Washington, D.C., where they spoke about the Violence Against Women Act, and one to a Syrian refugee camp. She is currently a student at Spelman College in 2022, where she is a member of the Mu Pi chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Zahara made headlines last year when she introduced herself as 'Zahara Marley Jolie,' omitting Pitt from her last name, when she made a speech at the college. Back in 2020, Angelina revealed to Time magazine that Zahara had faced a series of 'medical challenges' that forced her to undergo multiple 'surgeries.' 'I have spent the last two months in and out of surgeries with my eldest daughter, and days ago watched her younger sister go under the knife for a hip surgery,' she said. 'They know that I am writing this, because I respect their privacy and we discussed it together and they encouraged me to write. 'They understand that going through medical challenges and fighting to survive and heal is something to be proud of.'
       Shiloh, 18, starred in a few movies when she was little, but now her focus is dancing. Angelina and Brad welcomed their daughter Shiloh in May 2006 in Swakopmund, Namibia. And being born to one of the most well-known couples on the globe meant she was immediately thrust into the spotlight. At only two months old, she received her own wax figure at Madame Tussauds in New York City, and she appeared in the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with her dad before she was two years old. 'Shi's so full of light and love, she's just a little honey, and very, very funny,' Angelina gushed of her daughter in 2007 to MSN. 'I think I’m recognizing some of myself in that one - she’s going to be a little bit of trouble. 'Shiloh also voiced Shuai in Kung Fu Panda 3 in 2016, but in recent years, her focus has switched to dancing. 'It's very beautiful,' Brad gushed to Entertainment Tonight in 2022 of her dancing. 'I don't know where she got it from. I'm Mr. Two-Left-Feet here.' Shiloh, now 18, is currently being trained by choreographer Lil Kelaan Carter at the Movement Lifestyle Studio in California. Like Zahara, she has been by her mom's side on some of her humanitarian trips. On her 18th birthday in May, Shiloh filed a petition to legally drop Pitt from her name, and it was granted in August.
       Pax, 20, worked as an assistant director on one of his mom's movies and is passionate about DJing. In 2007, Angelina adopted a three-year-old boy, named Pax, from Vietnam. Due to the country's strict rules about unmarried couples and adoption, she initially adopted Pax alone, but Brad became his legal father soon after. 'He spent three-and-a-half years of his life in one place, in one room, in this one little iron bed with 20 other kids, and having no choice for himself to do things, having no freedom,' Angelina told MSN afterwards. 'And suddenly, here he is in a very free situation with new brothers and sisters and a mom and dad. 'He's learning English and he's so loving and he's wild and free 'cause he suddenly has freedom.' Like his siblings, he acted as a kid, landing small roles in his mom's 2014 movie Maleficent and voicing a character in Kung Fu Panda 3. He also helped work on First They Killed My Father with Maddox, and was an assistant director on the 2024 flick Without Blood, which Angelina directed. In addition, Pax, now 20, helped her decorate her flagship store for her new fashion brand Atelier Jolie. The actress also revealed to BBC in 2016 that Pax is passionate about 'music' and 'DJing.' Back in 2020, Pax called Brad a 'world class a**hole' and 'despicable person' who made his four youngest children 'tremble in fear' in a scathing post shared on Father's Day to his private Instagram account. 'You time and time and again prove yourself to be a terrible and despicable person,' he wrote. 'You have no consideration or empathy toward your four youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence. 'You will never understand the damage you have done to my family because you're incapable of doing so.'Earlier this year, he was rushed to hospital after suffering from a head injury during a terrifying bike crash. He was driving his electric bike in Los Angeles when he crashed it into the back of a car, law enforcement sources told TMZ at the time; he was not wearing a helmet. One week later, People reported that he had been released from the ICU but still had a 'long road of recovery' ahead of him. 'He suffered complex trauma, and now begins the long road of recovery and physical therapy,' they said.
       Knox, 16, was described by Angelina as an extremely 'shy' kid who 'wants to be private'. Angelina and Brad went on to welcome twins Knox and Vivienne in July 2008 in Nice, France. After becoming a family of eight, Angelina joked to People magazine that their home was 'chaos,' but added that they were 'managing it and having a wonderful time.' '[Shiloh] and Z pick out [the twins'] clothes and help change and hold them,' she revealed. 'It’s sweet – they are little mommies.' At the time, Brad said that Knox was a lot 'like him,' gushing, 'He likes music like his dad.' He voiced a character in Kung Fu Panda 3, but Angelina told E! News in October that Knox is extremely 'shy' and 'wants to be private.' Notoriously private Knox, now 16, made a rare appearance with his mom at the Governors Awards this week, which an insider told DailyMail.com afterwards was a move to try to 'get under her ex-husband's skin.' 'Brad only gets to see his children when they walk on the carpet with their mom and the timing of this could not be any more suspicious considering it was just decided that he and Angie are headed to trial,' the source noted. 'She is trying to get under his skin after his recent win and using Knox to do so is odd. 'Knox wants nothing to do with Hollywood and has no communication with Brad.' However, a separate source close to Angelina insisted that it was Knox's choice to support his mother at the event. 'Knox chose to attend the awards with his mom, and they had a nice mother-son evening,' they stated. 'Their decision to attend together did not have anything to do with Brad.'
       Vivienne, 16, is 'very serious about theater' and served as a volunteer assistant for Broadways' The Outsiders. Knox's twin sister Vivienne started acting when she was only a toddler, starring in Maleficent with her mother. 'We think it’s fun for our kids to have cameos and join us on set, but not to be actors. That’s not our goal, for Brad and I, at all,' Angelina later explained of how her daughter landed the role. 'But the other three- and four-year-old [performers] wouldn’t come near me. It had to be a child that liked me and wasn’t afraid of my horns and my eyes and my claws. So it had to be Viv.' In 2023, Angelina revealed that her youngest daughter was 'very serious about theater' to People magazine.'She isn’t focused on being the center of attention but in being a support to other creatives,' the star added. 'She's working hard to understand how to contribute [to the world of theater].' In addition, Angelina announced last August that she would be producing the Broadway musical The Outsides, and she said she was pushed to do so by Vivienne. 'She saw an early workshop a few times and then invited me to it,' Angelina said on opening night, per People. Vivienne, 16, served as a volunteer assistant for the play, with Angelina adding, 'She has been there to assist in any way she can and has learned so much from [score and co-book writer] Justin Levine and the whole creative team.' The mother-daughter-duo even got matching tattoos to honor the play; the ink says 'Stay Gold,' which is the name of one of the songs in the musical.

source : Daily mail