In recent months, it’s become clear that Brad Pitt has either became totally alienated from most of his six children or that, at the least, they’ve all chosen to align themselves with their mother, Angelina Jolie.
As reportedly painful as the situation has been for the Fight Club star, he now has new source of hurt and worry, according to a new report. It is possible that one or more of his six children will want "to tell their story" in an interview or in some other venue, In Touch Weekly reported.
"There’s nothing to stop them from doing it," a source told In Touch. "And when they decide to go ahead and talk, Brad will just have to sit back and take it." The exes have six kids together: Maddox, 22, Zahara, 19, Pax, 20, Shiloh, 18, and twins Knox and Vivienne, who turned 16 on July 12, 2024.
Brad would be powerless to stop the kids from telling their side of the story.
"If these kids eventually do want to turn around and get the ultimate closure by laying it all out in the open and telling the world what they’ve been through, it’s going to be Brad’s worst nightmare and no doubt will be the ultimate humiliation for him," the In Touch source also said.
It’s been nearly eight years since Angelina, 49, dramatically left the marriage after she alleged that Brad, 60, drunken and abusive, terrorized the family on a private plane ride from France to Los Angeles. Brad has long denied being abusive, and he was never charged with a crime, but he acknowledged in interviews that he had to overcome problems with alcohol and managing his anger.
A settlement has yet to be reached in one of the most protracted and bitter divorces in Hollywood history.
The couple’s legal battle now center on the chateau and winery in the South of France that they once owned together and which was supposed to be the family’s refuge from the pressures of fame.
Another new report in People claimed that Brad has "virtually no contact" with the couple’s three older adult children, Maddox, Zahara, and Pax. But per a custody agreement with Angelina, the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star has "visitation with the younger kids" — though his contact with them has been "limited" because of the filming schedule for his new racing movie, F1, People reported.
Brad seems to have limited relationships with his kids these days.
Still, court-ordered visitation or not, it’s become apparent that Brad’s relationship with his younger children also may be strained. His younger children also are his biological children, while the three oldest were adopted, initially just by Angelina.
News broke in May that Brad and Angelina’s daughter, Shiloh, took a major step in distancing herself from her father when she turned 18 and hired a lawyer to petition the court to legally drop "Pitt" from her surname, People and other news outlets reported. She will be known as "Shiloh Jolie" in the future, not "Shiloh Jolie-Pitt."
"He’s aware and upset that Shiloh dropped his last name. He’s never felt more joy than when she was born. He always wanted a daughter," a source told People. Another source told In Touch that Brad, who once had a close relationship with Shiloh, was "blindsided" and "heartbroken" by her decision to drop his last name.
"But he wasn’t surprised," the In Touch source said. "He feels that Angie has slowly but surely turned their kids against him. She absolutely influenced their decisions to distance themselves from their dad."
In a further possible insult, it also was reported in May that Vivienne had dropped "Pitt" in her Playbill credit for the new Broadway musical The Outsiders, which her mother produced.
"The reminders that he’s lost his children, is of course not easy for Brad," a source told People earlier in July. "He loves his children and misses them. It’s very sad."
Over the past eight years, Angelina and Brad have each revealed their versions of the divorce drama in legal documents and leaks to media outlets. But neither has said much directly about the breakup in the numerous on-the-record interviews they have given, either because they are hemmed in by private legal agreements or by a sense of discretion.
The children would not be bound by any such agreements, the source told In Touch.
"[The children] have stayed totally quiet so far, but at some point down the line it’s very plausible that they’re going to want to tell their side of the story," the In Touch source said. This insider also said Angelina has made it "very clear" that "this is not something she’s trying to encourage." The Maleficent star also "insists" that she didn’t push Shiloh, Vivienne, and Zahara to remove "Pitt" from their surnames, the source shared.
Zahara was the first to go public with a name change. In November 2023 while participating in a ceremony to join the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Spelman College, Zahara introduced herself as "Zahara Marley Jolie."
The source said Brad is "in a very tough spot" because his difficult relationships with his children mean "it’s not like he can even try and talk to them" about whether to do a tell-all interview, the In Touch source said. If Brad tried to talk to some of them, "that could only make things worse."
Brad has been moving forward despite the potential problems.
"So all he can do is wait for the hammer to drop and try to put it out of his mind," the source said. Brad has kept busy producing films, starring in F1 and re-teaming with his Oceans Eleven costar George Clooney for the upcoming film Wolfs. Brad also is in a "serious relationship" with girlfriend Ines de Ramon, and the two are now living together, People reported this week.
When it comes to his children, Brad has regrets, In Touch reported. "He’s sorry for everything that went down, and he knows he wasn’t a model husband or dad during the time they were together," the source said.
-by Martha Ross
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