In case the equation wasn't clear: Brad + Angelina = Brangelina! Sadly, this dynamic duo has divorced since we first coined the phrase — but their large family is still a mutual project. As it should be!
Living Life Through A Lens
Living in the spotlight was always a challenge for these two, but their kids have now spent a bit of time under the glare of the camera as well. And how is that working out, honestly?
A whirlwind celebrity lifestyle and a very public divorce would be no piece of cake for the best of us! But as we all know, the breakup of a family hits the kids the hardest.
Let's explore some hard lessons from this story, shall we?
The Clan Has Fans
To begin, just how big is this famous family? Over the years, it has grown considerably in front of our very eyes! Angie and Brad have six children together, with three adopted abroad.
Today, Maddox Chivan, Pax Thien, Zahara Marley, Shiloh Nouvel, and twins Knox Léon and Vivienne Marcheline range from ages 11 to 18 in all. Here, the kids join Angie without Maddox. The oldest Jolie-Pitt has moved on to college now!
Things certainly look peachy, but a whirlwind life in front of the press has not been easy! Let's 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? We may all know him now as a mature Oscar-nominated actor, 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.
He moved to LA and quickly landed small roles in his hunky days before he finally established himself with hits like Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles and Thelma and Louise. But what bout his personal life, 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. We all 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?
Supernova Sparks
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.
Nevertheless, it cannot have been easy for the kids growing up to read constantly recycled stories about their family's forbidden start in the press. Or the accusations against their mother as a homewrecker!
The truth is usually something in between, but sometimes the tabloids entirely distort the reality behind closed doors. How did the early couple handle the heat?
Double Trouble
While the couple stayed pretty low-key at the beginning, they started to proudly appear together in public within the first year of their relationship. And the world went wild! Never before had we seen such an attractive couple, beloved individually and now anointed 'Brangelina' by the press.
With such an epic rebranding without their consent, it 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 arrived!
Mad for Maddox
Towards the end of her 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. Soon after, the couple actually adopted a second child. 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 adopted a third member of the family, this time from Ethiopia. Zahara Marley was an irresistible little bundle to the child-loving couple, and Angelina was moved by her story at the orphanage.
Apparently, her parents died after getting HIV.
In TV interviews, Angelina talked about her openness to adoption for years. If there was a child in need somewhere in the world, she felt she had a lot to give! But 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 and playing with the youngsters.
But so far, the couple was still unmarried. And no biological children existed yet. This was just the beginning of the family! Who came next, you ask?
Surprises From the Stork
Inevitably, Angie became pregnant with her first child. A girl was born, and Shiloh was the name they chose. But was this a comfortable first birth in LA, surrounded by friends and family for support?
As it turns out, no! Shiloh was born in Swakopmund, Namibia. Angelina was an ambassador for the UN refugee agency, and her work sent her to this location during the making of Beyond Borders.
She consciously decided that the beauty of the desert was exactly where she wanted to have this transformative experience. And to benefit Africa further, the couple decided to donate the $3 million payment for their first published baby photo to the UN!
Empowering Women
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.
According to her, "Apart from my children, spending time with refugees was the greatest gift... the greatest life lesson I could ever receive."
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. Did Brad have the same commitment to these causes?
Making Memories
Brad and Angie both continued acting during these years, and the ambassador work continued. This involved lots of traveling! The couple wanted the children to benefit from learning about the world early on.
Family trips were quite common, and perhaps they thought they could get a little privacy in more remote locations around the world.
But the paparazzi lurked no matter where they went! Brad has remarked that the financial incentives to nab that snapshot of him were too powerful to expect anything less. Some photos could go for half a million dollars to the tabloids!
In one interview, he said he would have liked to take the pictures himself and sell them, preferring the money to go to charity! Sadly, this young family did not have a real choice in the matter. 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. Despite the gossip and scrutiny on their child-rearing that few people could handle, 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 to complete 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, it's true! The big family was official. The children 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 married was from the bottom up in this household!
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!
A couple's statement was released: “It was important to us that the day was relaxed and full of laughter...it was such a special day to share with our children and a very happy time for our family." What could go wrong?
Happy Happy Joy Joy
Angie and Brad had pretty different roles in the house, according to both of them. It turns out that dad was usually the disciplinarian, and mom the free spirit! But knowing these two, is that really a surprise?
In interviews, she always raved about Brad's parenting skills. It seemed like they made a great team!
According to Angie, “Sometimes I think my husband is so amazing that I don’t know why he’s with me. I don’t know whether I’m good enough. But if I make him happy, then I’m everything I want to be.”
As we know now, it didn't last forever. But with two great careers, plenty of money, and even hired help — what could have contributed to the breakdown of this happy house?
On Top of the World
Things seemed amazing from the outside as the family posed for creative magazine spreads. But there was trouble in paradise, and Brad has publicly admitted that he became a functional drunk during this period.
He hadn't gone a day without a drink in years:
"I can’t remember a day since I got out of college when I wasn’t boozing or had a spliff or something. Something…I mean I stopped everything except boozing when I started my family. But even this last year, you know—things I wasn’t dealing with. I was boozing too much. It’s just become a problem.”
Would Angelina understand? After all, she had her own phase with dangerous substances in her youth.
Troubled Times
Despite the professional accomplishments and family man persona, everyone in Hollywood knew that Brad Pitt was a party animal before everything. Like many people discover at some point, drinking every day can turn into a habit that is hard to break.
And the negative reality of alcohol abuse became too obvious for everyone to continue ignoring after a publicized fight between Angelina, his son, and himself. Five days after the event was exposed, Angelina filed for divorce. Brangelina, say it isn't so!
Decision Time
The gorgeous actress could not have made this decision lightly. She has expressed in so many interviews that she was 100% certain she would grow old with Brad, and that was why she felt comfortable building such a large family with him in the first place.
According to Angelina: "I was profoundly, deeply sad. I was hurt...It was complicated. I didn’t recognize myself anymore, and I’d become, how do I say this, smaller, insignificant, even if I didn’t show it." Why did she ultimately make this decision, though?
Family First
Angelina actually publicly stated that the reason for the divorce was to preserve the "health of the family". That was seen as a shocking statement in light of all the interviews she had given over the years raving about Brad's passion for the children.
Authorities actually came to evaluate the safety of the situation!
Brad was cleared, but the damage was done.
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."
Change Has Come
As the couple split in an ugly way, Angelina filed for sole custody of the children. Brad really was an involved father, and he was sad to see this suggestion from his former love.
Angelina's camp released a statement explaining the initial arrangement: “In accordance with this [custody] agreement, the six children will stay in their mother’s custody, and the children will continue therapeutic visits with their father."
In the meantime, Angelina required the children to go to therapy to process this traumatic change.
Battle Time
The couple formerly known as Brangelina fought for two years over final custody agreements. In 2018, the Los Angeles family court stated that “not having a relationship with their father” was harmful to the kids.
Maddox was older, so he was given his own choice about where to live. But the rest of the siblings? It was time to split custody.
That summer, time was divided between movie sets in London and LA where each parent was filming a movie. But was everything peaceful now?
Cents or Sense
During this time, Angelina filed a brief claiming that Brad “paid no meaningful child support” since the couple's separation. Did he agree with that financial summary?
No, he said that this request for more child support was “unnecessary”. His court filing claimed she “omits material information and is a thinly-veiled effort to manipulate media coverage.” What was the truth behind this accusation? Brad would have plenty to say in his own defense!
Brad Fights Back
Brad said that he actually loaned $8 million to Angelina so she could buy her current home. But wait, that wasn't all!
He said he had regularly contributed financially to the needs of the children, and that she had never asked him for any formal child support until this claim in court. Was Brad getting a bad rap, without cause?
Whatever the case may be, it could not have been easy for the children to read about this public spat between their parents for years on end in the press. What about the children, people? Even in 2019, it's not clear everything is settled!
Stuck in the Middle
In the meantime, what was going on in the lives of Jolie-Pitts? Shiloh had always dressed like a tomboy, and rumors swirled that the young daughter of Brangelina might actually be transgender. But who would really know that, outside the house?
This rumor was never confirmed by the family, and it is not clear now how everything will turn out. But surely, the tumult all around Shiloh could not have made adolescence any easier! It's hard to be a teenager in the best of times, and few of us tried it under the glare of a paparazzi camera!
No More Boozing
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." Way to go, Brad!
It seems that the alcohol really got in the way of things for a while, but he remains committed to feeling his real feelings.
"I've got my feelings in my fingertips again. I think that's part of the human challenge: You either deny them all of your life or you answer them and evolve," he said recently. Does this mean the kids have their father back fully in their lives now?
Maddox Flies Away
For Maddox, rekindling a close relationship with his father might be challenging over the next few years. As the oldest of the kids, he recently started college! Yes, that much time has passed since we were all introduced to his adorable, pudgy little face.
He actually chose to study at South Korea’s Yonsei University, and seems quite interested in the film industry! Whatever chaos continues at home, it seems he will be doing positive and exciting things over the next few years. Enjoy the adventure, Maddox!
Soul Siblings
People close to the family have observed how close-knit the children are these days, and it's not surprising for those who have observed the family over time.
All these years, the siblings were homeschooled. And what's more, they constantly changed locations all over the world for their parent's work.
Angelina actually spoke about her sons in a 2019 interview with Elle, saying she is proud of them for how respectful they are of their sisters. She says they are treated as equals in the house, and that sounds very positive!
Staying Strong
According to Angelina: “I often tell my daughters that the most important thing they can do is to develop their minds. You can always put on a pretty dress, but it doesn’t matter what you wear on the outside of your mind isn’t strong.”
Despite the troubles we have all witnessed, the kids still pursue their passions. And a great way to stay busy is to learn a new language!
Each child is currently learning a different language in the house — Vietnamese, German, Khmer, Russian, Arabic, French, and even sign language!
Pax Finds Passion
Pax seems to be maintaining a close relationship with his mom during all the madness. They have seen having personal 1-on-1 dinners together in town, and he has even opened an Instagram account to show off his personal hobby. What is it, you ask?
It seems Pax is actually a very talented photographer, and he has a pretty practiced model to try it out on. Angelina has been featured in his shots, and they are stunning!
On the other side of things, the teen publicly wished his father a happy birthday this year online for everyone to see. Are things improving generally, perhaps?
Cooperation Breakthrough
Angelina remains an active mother trying to find creative activities with her kids. Brad seems to be increasing his involvement, as the courts permit.
But the bickering between them has improved lately due to the introduction of a clever little app called OurFamilyWizard. And they are not the only parents in America who swear by it!
The app claims to fix all co-parenting communication with its platform. And perhaps it does, since it keeps track of expenses and schedules — all without any opportunity to get back into unsolved emotional business on the phone.
If that's what it takes to keep the peace, so be it! In the meantime, the world still hopes to see loving pictures in the future of this talented bunch — together, or apart.