Back in 2005, Brad Pitt had just split from Jennifer Aniston and was keeping a low profile at the Chateau Marmont in LA.
At the time, rumors were swirling about him and Angelina Jolie, and Hollywood couldn’t stop talking. They were all over the headlines.
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Fast forward nearly 20 years, and it’s not Brad making news at the Marmont now. This time, it’s Pax, one of his adopted sons.
Pax, now 21, was spotted heading to a strip club in the Hollywood Hills and stayed out until almost 3 a.m. Brad’s team definitely noticed the whole thing.
Brad believes his relationship with Pax is beyond repair
According to someone close to Brad, he’s done trying to deal with Pax’s behavior.
“He has zero concern with what Pax does or doesn’t do. [Pax’s] actions reflect who he is.”
The source also said, “Brad honestly considers his relationship with Pax unfixable.”
He hopes to reconcile with some of his kids
That’s a heavy thing to admit about your own kid. But it seems like Brad’s made peace with not being close to Pax or Maddox anymore.
He’s still hoping things could turn around with the other four though.
Shiloh’s legal name change was a clear message
Their daughter Shiloh, now 19, made her feelings pretty clear when she turned 18.
She legally dropped “Pitt” and now goes by Shiloh Nouvel Jolie. Her baby photos once sold for $4.1 million, but now she’s making it clear she wants distance.
Several other children have distanced themselves from the Pitt name
She’s not alone. Zahara, who’s 20 and a student at Spelman College, goes by Jolie too.
Vivienne, who turns 17 soon, also reportedly dropped “Pitt.” Her twin brother Knox hasn’t said much, but he’s been keeping low.
The deepest rift is with his adopted sons Maddox and Pax
The biggest fallout seems to be with Maddox and Pax. Both were adopted — Maddox in 2001 and Pax in 2007.
Maddox now calls himself Maddox Jolie. He studied biochem in South Korea and also got into flying planes.
The turning point with Maddox seemed to come in 2016, during a private jet incident where things got physical between him and Brad.
A few years later, when someone asked Maddox if he was done with Brad for good, all he said was, “Whatever happens, happens.”
Pax publicly accused Brad of being abusive and uncaring
Pax didn’t hold back either. He once called Brad “a world class a**hole.”
And on Father’s Day 2020, he posted a photo of Brad with his Oscar and wrote, “You time and time again prove to be a terrible and despicable person. You have no consideration or empathy toward your four youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence.
“You have made the lives of those closest to me a constant hell. You may tell yourself and the world whatever you want, but the truth will come to light someday.”
Brad blames Angelina for how the kids turned against him
“Brad believes that whatever his kids are going through right now is a direct result of how they have been raised,” a source said.
“They are now old enough to make their own choices and if their choices include drama that is all on them. Brad would be there to give advice, but he cannot be when he is unable to have a relationship with them at this time.”
Angelina’s camp fires back with accusations of victim-playing
Someone on Angelina’s side didn’t hold back either. They think Brad needs to take responsibility.
“Brad continues to play the victim. His fractured relationship with his children is a direct result of how he has treated them. He should stop blaming others. If he wants to rebuild a relationship with the kids, he should acknowledge his own actions and make amends.”
Brad once admitted to being a strict father to the boys
Looking back, this tension might’ve been building for a while. In 2009, Brad even said he was tougher on the boys than the girls.
“I am [a disciplinarian] with the boys,” he said. “Girls do no wrong, so I don’t have to be. I feel like my job is to show them around, help them find what they want to do with their life, put as many things in front of them, and pull them back when they get out of line, so they know who they are.”
His family still hopes for reconciliation despite the distance
As of now, Brad doesn’t seem to be planning any kind of outreach to Pax or Maddox.
“Pax and Maddox have made it abundantly clear how they feel, and Brad has nothing to say about either of them,” a source said.
But with the rest of the kids, he’s still holding on to a bit of hope. “Time heals wounds,” the source added.
Brad’s parents, Jane and William, are also hoping things get better. They’re both in their 80s and still close to Brad.
“The Pitt family was hoping that after Brad and Angelina’s divorce was finalized [in December 2024] the kids would come around and re-establish a relationship,” a family insider said.
Angelina’s lack of close family makes the estrangement even starker
Unlike Brad’s big, close family, Angelina doesn’t have many relatives around.
“[The Pitt-Jolie children] have no other family because Angelina is estranged from her brother and has no nieces and nephews,” the source said. “Her mother is dead, and she has a difficult relationship with her dad.
“But the Pitt family is so loving, and they are so close – all of them. Brad’s children have 30 cousins who they were previously close to. They would spend vacations together at Brad’s beach house and would visit. They haven’t had any contact in years.”