Tabloids decided long ago that Brad + Angelina = Brangelina. Despite the branding, the dynamic duo divorced since the phrase was first coined — but their large family is still a shared project. As it should be!
Living Life Through A Lens
Living in the spotlight was always a challenge for these stars, but their six kids have grown up under the glare of the camera. Young daughter Shiloh has had a lot of personal struggles of her own. These days, Shiloh goes by John — Shocking, but true!
A whirlwind celebrity lifestyle and a very public divorce, custody battles and alcohol addiction — the day to day has been far from perfect. Plus, the breakup of a home hits the kids the hardest! How has Shiloh been coping, and what's the situation at present?
Next, see the events that lead to up Shiloh's unexpected LGBT transformation!
The Clan Has Fans
To begin, just how big is this famous family? Over the years, it has grown considerably in front of the world! Angie and Brad have six children together, three adopted abroad. Today, Maddox Chivan, Pax Thien, Zahara Marley, Shiloh Nouvel, and twins Knox Léon and Vivienne Marcheline are recognizable.
Things certainly look peachy, but a whirlwind life in front of the press has not been easy! It's time to take a walk down memory lane to see how this special family came to be in the first place. For example, who is the dad?
Before Brad the Dad
As a refresher, who was Brad Pitt when he broke onto the scene in the 1990s? Sure, he's a mature Oscar-nominated actor now, but everyone has a beginning in Hollywood! Brad actually hails from a conservative Christian household in Missouri with just two other siblings, so he doesn't have the experience with a large family one might expect.
After his move to LA, he quickly landed small roles in his hunky days. But what about his personal life back then, off the clock? A blast from the past, it is!
Before Brangelina
As a major Hollywood figure in the mid-90s, Brad coupled with the lovely Jennifer Aniston. The Friends starlet married him and expressed frequent public affection for him in interviews. Everyone wanted to be Brad and Jen, for a time!
Although this duo was a tabloid regular for years, things turned out to be less picture-perfect than the glossy magazines. After 7 years, they divorced! The world was genuinely shocked, and many put the blame squarely in one place. Someone new had entered the relationship. But who?
Double Trouble
During the filming of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, rumors flew about the off-screen romance between the costars. Both Angelina and Brad deny that their romance broke up the marriage with Jen, however. Brad has stated in many interviews that he was already in the process of ending the relationship when the filming started.
Brangelina was born, and this epic rebranding was probably a lot of pressure to work through! Regular dating is hard enough, but being labeled the king and queen of the universe on TV is not normal. And indeed, Angie was trying to be very normal behind the cameras at this point in her life. Motherhood had already arrived!
Mad for Maddox
Towards the end of her previous marriage to Billy Bob Thorton, Angie was on a trip to Cambodia when she was exposed to children in an orphanage. She saw a tiny boy, and fell in love! Although she didn't plan on coming back as a mother, life took a joyful turn. She adopted the boy and named him Maddox.
When Brad entered her life, parenthood was already a part of the deal. But soon after, they actually adopted a second child as a couple. Pax, from Vietnam! It sounds like a lot to handle, but were they finished?
Itty Bitty Bundle
Indeed, this was just the beginning. Angelina and Brad welcomed a third member of the family, this time from Ethiopia. Zahara Marley was her name and Angelina was moved by her story at the orphanage. Apparently, her parents had died after getting HIV!
Fans never knew that Angelina was so maternal! But maybe they should have, because she talked about her openness to adoption for years in interviews. If there was a child in need somewhere in the world, she felt she had a lot to give! Was Brad as enthusiastic as she was?
Rad Daddy
Indeed, Brad loved his role as an active father. There were rumors that his previous wife had hesitated about having kids, and people saw he was really enthusiastic about the project when he finally got the chance. The coolest dad in Hollywood was pictured frequently in the press tumbling outside with the youngsters!
But so far, the couple was still unmarried, and no biological children existed yet. As the world knows snow, this was actually just the beginning of the family. Who came next, as a little bundle of joy?
Surprises From the Stork
Inevitably, Angie became pregnant with her first child. A girl was born, and Shiloh was the name mom and dad chose. Was this a comfortable first birth in LA, surrounded by friends and family for support? No, the big moment happened far, far away!
Shiloh was born in Swakopmund, Namibia. At the time, Angelina was an ambassador for the UN refugee agency. Her work sent her to this location during the making of Beyond Borders. There, she decided that the beauty of the desert was exactly where she wanted to have this transformative experience. To benefit Africa, Brangelina decided to donate the $3 million payment for their first published baby photo to the UN!
Making Memories
Angelina has spoken passionately about her love for children around the world, and she spent years trying to publicize various human rights dilemmas in her role as a UN ambassador. At one point, she even directed a movie about the war in Bosnia!
As time went on, this work became more and more important for Angelina. This involved lots of traveling! The couple wanted the children to benefit from learning about the world early on, and family trips were quite common. But the paparazzi lurked no matter where they went! Couldn't they just get one moment of peace?
Into the Woods
No way, pe0ple! Even as the family took a romp in the woods for some good clean fun together, photographers lurked while Shiloh played with her siblings. A bit creepy, for a child! But despite the stalking, gossip and scrutiny, Brad and Angie got pregnant again. Twins were born, a boy and a girl!
Knox Léon and Vivienne Marcheline joined Maddox, Pax, Zahara, and Shiloh in the family. But there was one thing left to do before it was all official in the children's minds. What did they want from mom and dad?
A Very Big Day
Yes, marriage! The big family was official. Shiloh and the other kids had been old enough for some time to notice that their friends had married parents, but they did not. It seems some of the pressure to get hitched was from the bottom up!
Brangelina wanted their six children to be deeply involved in the family wedding, and that included dress design. The gown featured a mosaic of her children's actual drawings, a quirky contrast with the venue — their own Chateau Miraval estate in France! Onlookers noticed that even at this time, Shiloh looked averse to dresses. What was going on?
Two, Four, Six Strong
After the wedding, this big family tried to live love, and laugh. With six kids and two adults, there was a lot of energy in this household! There were eight unique personalities, and they all joked that no one really looked alike, either. No one except Shiloh and Brad, that is!
According to Angelina: “Shiloh looks like Brad. It’s funny because she’s almost going to be the outcast in the family because she’s blonde and blue-eyed.” An interesting comment, looking back. Could this have influenced Shiloh's eventual gender transformation?
Growing into Her Looks
Once Shiloh’s face made its debut to the world, the media wouldn't stop trying to capture snapshots. Whether she was with her parents or crawling on her own, people focused on her face even as a toddler. Everyone claimed Shiloh hit the genetic lottery, undoubtedly destined to be as gorgeous as her star mom and dad. That's a lot of pressure!
Angelina always said that Shiloh resembled Brad the most, but looked a bit like her as a youngster. Looks change with age, of course. Shilo was made aware of this all the time. Was that a healthy topic in 24/7 media, too?
Just a Suit Phase
Because of the weird scrutiny of the kids, Brad and Angelina tried to keep them away from direct cameras. Any parent could understand that impulse! Childhood is a special time, and body image is a topic for mature times. Still, the conversations continued about the development of Shiloh's face. She looked more and more like Brad, everyday!
Shiloh actually started to dress and do her hair more like dad, too. At public events, she wore suits. That was interesting, but no one read into it very much at this stage. Little did they know that this was not merely a fashion fad!
Eyebrows All Raised
At some point, of course, the tabloids started to gossip about Shiloh's consistent look. Sure, they had commented that Shiloh had similar genetics to dad. But was something more going on, now? One headline in 2010 asked, “Why Is Angelina Turning Shiloh Into A Boy?”
Plenty of cultural controversy existed about the topic of androgyny in children. Perhaps it was an adult issue, but kids were a gray area for most readers. Even people who were longtime fans of Brad and Angelina started to push back. What was she doing to her daughter in the public eye?
Organized LGBT Response
In every controversy, there are people on both sides. Throughout the country, there had been a good amount of activism on behalf of transgender issues for some time. Perceiving they were defending the defenseless, The National Center for Transgender Equality jumped into the conversation on Shiloh. What did they say?
Well, it seems they took issue with what they called misinformation in the media. They explained: “Our society needs healthy, well-rounded children whose interests and tastes are as diverse as the children themselves and are not limited by outdated stereotypes of gender.” Was Angelina of a similar opinion, at that time?
Blurring the Lines
The public was certainly curious. Angelina stated that Shiloh liked to dress like a boy, in one interview: "She wants to be a boy. So we had to cut her hair. She likes to wear boys’ everything. She thinks she’s one of the brothers.”
Speculation that there might be something medically or psychologically wrong with Shiloh really took off after that admission. But was that the right thing to do? After all, many children have phases throughout their lives. It appeared nosy observers just refused to let the situation play out naturally!
Supporting Shiloh
When the interview was published, it got as much attention as Angelina probably anticipated. And celebrities far and wide weighed in on the matter. For example, Cher’s trans daughter-turned-son Chaz Bono said: “I would love to talk to them at some point, [And] at least let them know we have this resource for them if they ever need it. For a child who had grown up in the spotlight, under the watchful eye of the media, it can be too much to handle.”
By now, the family has probably read that response. It was a touching sentiment, though no one knows if the offer has been redeemed yet. Was that what everyone thought was going on, though?
Standing Out Loud
Some expressed a very different view of the situation. An armchair diagnosis that was common seemed to be a need for attention from busy parents. Or, a strange mentality developed because of her birth circumstances, unlike her adopted brothers and sisters. People pointed to quotes from Angelina herself to justify these theories!
Mom once said: “I felt so much more for Madd, Zahara and Pax because they were survivors. Shiloh seemed so privileged from the moment she was born. But I’m conscious that I have to make sure I don’t ignore her needs, just because I think the others are more vulnerable.” What exactly did that look like, on the day-to-day from Shiloh's point of view?
The Big Split
Changes were inevitable, for this big brood. Although it had been a pleasant project for a while, the trials of marriage were too much for Brad and Angie. Brangelina was no more, announcing a divorce out of the blue. Fans were shocked!
What's more, the kids were shocked. Splitting up a family is no small act, and it tends to affect people for the longterm. In 2016, the court battles began. For a child already dealing with judgment about her sexuality and gender, Shiloh now had other big stresses. Should she live with mom, or dad?
Serious Conflict
As it turns out, there had been a lot of fighting going on inside the walls of the Pitt-Jolie mansion for some time. Brad and Maddox allegedly got into a physical altercation one day. Then, claims surfaced that Brad had cheated on Angelina with a costar in Allied. French actress Marion Cotillard denied it, but perhaps some damage was done.
What's more, Brad started drinking a lot. The LA Department of Child and Family Services investigated, formally! Perhaps chaos led Brad to seek help. In an interview with GQ, Brad revealed something new: "You know, I just started therapy. I love it, I love it. I went through two therapists to get to the right one." What happened with custody, though?
Custody Fights Begin
The result was not unexpected: Angelina filed for sole custody of all six children, which she received. Even though Brad had been cleared of all charges by social workers, the result was the same. Was this what the kids wanted? No one knows if they all felt the same way!
Radar Online claimed to have found a family friend with an inside scoop on one thing: “Shiloh’s not the same bubbly kid she was before Brad and Angie split, she doesn’t understand why Brad can’t be there on their family trips to Disneyland.” Allegedly, Shiloh was taking the divorce the hardest. Now 11, it was compounding her confusion about life!
Putting the Kids First
Protecting Shiloh and the other children was Angelina's main priority, at this time. Her own parents had divorced, so maybe she had insight on the struggle. In interviews, she didn't hold back on the truth about the breakup of her marriage to Brad.
She explained, “[I] think it’s very important to cry in the shower and not in front of the children. They need to know that everything’s going to be all right even when you’re not sure it is.” Was the transition as smooth as possible, though?
Struggling to Stay Strong
Early reports claimed that Angelina had sole custody to keep Brad away from Shiloh and the other kids. After all, he had a drinking problem! Soon enough, though, it was clear that Brad was addressing reality. Steps were taken to make sure dad, sons, and daughters could meet up as a family again.
During this time, there were plenty of fraying nerves to go around. But Angelina made sure all the children had time to keep developing their own identities outside the divorce. Each child was learning a different language in the house — Vietnamese, German, Khmer, Russian, Arabic, French, and even sign language! What about Shiloh's other identity, though?
London Getaway
Official money and custody arrangements were far from settled, but life went on. Angelina got a gig in London in 2018. It was the filming for Maleficent 2, and she took all the kids with her. That was pretty far away from dad in LA! There was no longer any legal reason to have them literally so far away from Brad. What was going on?
According to her rep: “Angelina said from the beginning that she felt she had to take action for the health of the family and is relieved that after their 8-week involvement, the DCFS is now satisfied the safeguards are put in place that will allow the children to heal." Were the kids receiving mixed messages?
Missing Dear Dad
In most divorce outcomes, keeping kids away from one parent is pretty detrimental. A judge finally stepped in to make things less chaotic, as the custody proceedings went on. Yes, Angelina had been letting them see Brad, but she also kept them pretty far away at times. That had to be hard on Shiloh, on top of her other struggles!
Allegedly, she told her mother that she actually wanted to live with her father. But it's hard to know for sure! Maybe Shiloh just missed Brad, and wanted more time with him. Or maybe, she related to him in another way?
Meet John Jolie-Pitt
Lately, fams have noticed that the now thirteen-year-old Shiloh has been using a different identity. Using the name John Jolie-Pitt, it's a formal recognition of what the rumors had said for so long. Surprise, surprise! It's gotten a lot of attention from the LGBT community.
With comfortable fashion choices involving a lot of hoodies and sweatpants, and a manageable, short haircut, the look fits the name. It does seem that something has been going on, all this time. But fans wonder about the chicken or egg question, at hand. Was the trans idea planted by the press, or did the press correctly observe a child?
Recurring Reports
Perhaps time will tell. The teen years are always the hardest, after all! For the time being, the Hollywood community seems petty supportive. For example, model and activist Amber Rose recently weighed in on the change. On social media, she shared a pic of the child on the red carpet, gushing: “How gorgeous is John Jolie Pitt?! Born into the perfect family for him. #TransKids #LoveUrKidsNoMatterWhat#Support.”
Amber actually caught some flack for the post, in the end. The internet is full of critics, and this issue invokes passion on both sides. At a minimum, people told her to stay out of it! Too much early publicity can be damaging, as many child stars know well.
Family Breakthrough
At present, things seem better in terms of post-divorce cooperation. Angelina remains an active mother trying to find creative activities with her kids. Dad seems to be increasing his involvement, as the courts permit. According to Brad: “I got friends, I got lovely kids, I like my coffee, I like my dogs. I’ve got no complaints.”
In the meantime, the world still hopes to see loving pictures in the future of this talented bunch — together or apart, and whether Shiloh or John exists in the future. All the best, Jolie-Pitts!