The Jolie-Pitt Kids Are Growing Up Fast

It was the Hollywood power couple to end all power couples, but even the juggernaut that was Brangelina couldn't stand the test of time. Angelina Jolie shocked the movie industry and the world when she filed for divorce from husband Brad Pitt in 2016, citing irreconcilable differences. In a statement (via The Guardian), the actress' attorney said that the "decision was made for the health of the family," which had sadly fallen apart.

Reports of a heated altercation started to emerge (per The Cut), with sources claiming that a family fight had led to Jolie filing for divorce. The rumor was that Pitt had gotten physical with his eldest son, Maddox Jolie-Pitt, after an argument flared up during a flight. The Jolie-Pitt clan was on its way home from France via its private jet when Brad "lunged at the boy and Angelina jumped in between them to block her husband," TMZ sources claimed. "Brad connected in some fashion with his son."

The War Machine star was briefly investigated for child abuse but was soon cleared of all wrongdoing, at least in the eyes of the law. Maddox, on the other hand, doesn't appear to be the forgiving type. He and his five siblings have grown up a lot in the years since their parents announced the split, and some of them are dealing with it better than others. Now that the custody arrangements have finally been agreed upon, let's catch up with the Jolie-Pitt kids.

According to RadarOnline, Maddox Jolie-Pitt (above), who is 17 years old as of this writing, is turning into a real charmer. The Cambodian-born teen reportedly had his very first girlfriend in 2018, but a family insider confirmed that it was nothing but "puppy love" between the pair. The source claims that Maddox is "stepping up his game" with the ladies, however, and will reportedly be active on the Hollywood dating scene in 2019. "[He] likes to take girls to the movies or for drives through the Hollywood Hills," the insider said. "He drives them around himself in his pick-up truck that Angie bought him as soon as he was able to drive."

Mothers will always be tempted to freak out a little when their eldest starts dating, but according to Radar's whistleblower, Angelina was excited for her boy. "Angie was so thrilled when Maddox told her he was taking girls out," the source added. "He's her eldest and she was so excited to watch him become a man." With Brad no longer living under the same roof as his kids, it apparently fell to Angelina to give Maddox a talk about the art of being a gentleman. "She's sat him down and made sure to explain how to treat women with respect."

We'll likely never know exactly what went down on the Pitt-Jolie family jet that day, but even alleged insiders from Brad Pitt's camp admitted that he was in the wrong. "There was a parent-child argument which was not handled in the right way and escalated more than it should have," a source close to the A-list star told People. "[Pitt] is emphatic that it did not reach the level of physical abuse, that no one was physically harmed. He did not hit his child in the face in any way. ... He put his hands on him, yes, because the confrontation was spiraling out of control."

Even if no actual punches were thrown, placing his hands on Maddox was apparently enough for the teen to fall out with his dad big time, and by all accounts they've been drifting apart ever since. The custody battle caused tension among the children according to Us Weekly, whose sources claimed that Brad has now "accepted that he'll likely never be able to repair [his] relationship" with Maddox. The same insider told the publication that Brad's relationship with Angelina was just as strained because of the actress' tough stance on custody. "Angelina hasn't offered any concessions about her actions that have contributed to the situation."

It isn't just Maddox Jolie-Pitt that Brad Pitt is reportedly worried about losing — his younger brother Pax Jolie-Pitt (pictured above) is also said to be siding with his mom over the split, becoming what sources have described as his mother's "closest confidant." In June 2018, Angelina Jolie was chewed out by a judge for bad mouthing Brad to the kids (she was ordered to inform the children that the "court has determined that not having a relationship with their father is harmful to them," The Daily Beast reported). Six months later, a possible reason for Angelina's reluctance to let Brad keep the kids came out, and it involved their Vietnamese son, Pax.

If court documents obtained by Us Weekly are indeed accurate, then you can't really blame 15-year-old Pax for being angry with his father. Angelina is said to have told Pax that Brad never even wanted to adopt him, adding that his dad was "angry" when she went ahead with the adoption process anyway. Brad denies this, but Us Weekly insiders claim that Brad did express concern about adopting a 3-year-old child with no English language skills less than a year after Shiloh Jolie-Pitt was born. It was said to have been a "very difficult time for the couple" and the fallout "almost ended the relationship."

Not long after the story about Brad Pitt never wanting to adopt Pax Jolie-Pitt broke, both the Daily Mail and The Sun claimed that the 15-year-old had wished his dad a happy birthday on Instagram. Brad turned 55 in 2018, and Pax was reported to have posted a throwback pic of the actor along with the caption: "Happy Birthday to this stud. Love you so much! Can't wait to see you later." This would have represented a major win for Brad given the strain his relationship with his son is reportedly under, but according to Gossip Cop, it was all fake. "The teenage boys don't have social media accounts," the outlet reported. "The fake birthday posts were fan-made."

Sources told Us Weekly that five of the six Jolie-Pitt kids stayed with Brad the night before his birthday (eldest Maddox was absent for unknown reasons), but the visit was reportedly monitored. "This is a transition time for the entire family, and it's being done with a lot of input from the therapists," the insider said. It might be some time before Pax and his dad can resume anything like a normal father-son relationship, but when it comes to his mother, it's business as usual. In January 2019, the teen and Angelina were spotted on a day out in Beverly Hills, and In Touch Weekly was blown away by how "grown up" he was looking all of a sudden.

Speaking of birthdays, Zahara Jolie-Pitt celebrated a big one in January 2019. It seems like only yesterday that her famous parents brought her home from an orphanage in Ethiopia, but Zahara is already turning 14. "She's growing up so fast," Hollywood Life's celebrity baby editor said. "In fact, she's almost as tall as her mom and has a great sense of style if her all-black looks are anything to go by." In Touch Weekly also raved about the 14-year-old's fashion choices, giving her props for the blue and white jumpsuit she wore while shopping with her equally glamorous mom.

Meanwhile, there's been no word on whether or not Angelina intends to initiate contact with Mentewab Dawit Lebiso, the woman who claims to be Zahara's biological mother. Speaking to the Daily Mail (the British tabloid tracked her down in a small town in central Ethiopia) in 2017, Lebiso said that she misses her child dearly and would love to establish some kind of relationship. "I think about her every day and long to hear her voice or see her face," she said. "I know when she has a birthday but I am sad because I can't celebrate it with her." Lebiso (who first came forward with her story back in 2007) claims that she was urged to give her child up by family members after she was unable to provide for the child.

It seems as though Zahara did plenty of birthday shopping with her mom, but according to Hollywood Life sources, she didn't get the chance to celebrate with her dad on her big day, because, according to family insiders, Brad's invite to their daughter's party didn't exactly get lost in the mail. "There's still lingering resentment for Angelina when it comes to Brad, which does not make things easy when considering inviting Brad over for something like a birthday party," a source said. "Other friends and family members are getting together for a small party Angie is planning, but Zahara's dad will have to celebrate with her at a different time." 

Brad and Zahara did see each other a few weeks earlier, on Christmas in 2018, according to Us Weekly. The magazine's insiders learned that Zahara was actually the oldest Jolie-Pitt kid to spent the holidays with their dad. "Maddox refused to go, and Pax didn't go either," one source claimed, adding that it was a pretty "low key" day. "[Brad] has never spoiled the kids for their birthdays or holidays." Just like the visit some of the kids made to mark Brad's birthday, the actor was reportedly monitored by a professional, who is said to have overnighted in a guest room.

Shiloh Jolie-Pitt is Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's eldest biological child. She came into the world in 2006, and before long she looked like the spitting image of her famous father. "(Shiloh) looks like Brad," Angelina admitted in December 2007 (via Today). "It's funny because she's almost going to be the outcast in the family because she's blonde and blue-eyed." If reports are to be believed, those words have come back to haunt Angelina since she announced that she and Brad were calling it a day, because the so-called family outcast is apparently keen to switch sides.

In July 2018, a Star magazine source (via New Idea) claimed that Shiloh was sick of "being moved city to city and unable to see her dad," and was reportedly "begging to live with Brad full-time." Shiloh isn't a little kid anymore — she turned 12 in May 2018 and is allegedly growing increasingly frustrated with her mother's behavior. "She has good intentions, and in her mind she's doing everything she can to put the kids first," the insider said of Angelina. "But while she's been dragging them around the world, she's also been keeping them from their father."

While Shiloh Jolie-Pitt quite clearly takes after her dad, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt is definitely more of a mini-Angelina. She and her twin brother, Knox Jolie-Pitt, turned 10 years old in July 2018, meaning the whole Jolie-Pitt brood is now into double figures. Vivienne has already entered the family business, appearing in one of her mom's biggest ever movies. She played the younger version of Elle Fanning's character, Aurora, in 2014's Maleficent, getting the part purely because she was the only kid who wasn't terrified of Angelina in her costume.

Angelina told Entertainment Weekly that it was fun having a young Vivienne on set with her, and they've apparently remained super close ever since. In January 2019, photos of Vivienne on her way to martial arts class emerged (above), and the cries of doppelgänger immediately rang out. "[Angelina] took her daughter to a martial arts class, and we cannot get over how much they look alike in the pics," Hollywood Life's senior editor said. "For the outing Angelina wore a black maxi dress, while Vivienne kept it casual in sweats and a t-shirt for her athletic class, but their faces are identical!"

Vivienne's martial arts class came just days after Angelina and the twins were spotted indoor rock climbing together in Los Angeles. Vivienne and her mom (sporting matching ponytails) were all smiles as they hit the walls together.

Like his sister, Knox Jolie-Pitt has already entered the family business, voicing a character called Ku Ku in 2016's Kung Fu Panda 3. It must have been a big moment for him, but that was the same year his parents announced their divorce. He may be older than his twin sister by a full minute, but he was still way too young to fully understand the implications of the separation at the time. Since hitting double figures, he's starting to look less like a lost little boy and more like a young man in the making. He was full of smiles when his mother took him and two of his sisters out for sushi in January 2019, surprising the staff at a Hollywood restaurant.

"Many of the staff didn't know it was her until people in the restaurant started making some noise about it and then everyone started recognizing her after noticing the camera people outside," one eyewitness told Hollywood Life. "They kept to themselves and appeared to be in a very pleasant mood. ... They were all very nice and she left an amazing tip." Knox was looking grown up when he and his sister were spotted on a post-Christmas shopping trip with their mom, who appears to be spending as much time with her kids as possible.

Attending a Survivor live reunion is exciting enough if you're a fan of the legendary reality show, but imagine turning up to the event and discovering that Angelina Jolie was also in attendance. The Hollywood star and some of her kids attended the reunion of the 37th season (David vs. Goliath), which friend and colleague Mike White competed in. "They had a great time," a source told People. "The kids really enjoyed it."

White is probably best known for writing and appearing in Jack Black comedy School of Rock, as well as the TV show of the same name. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he and Jolie became friends while working on a Disney project together. "White recently penned an adaptation of the Newbery Medal-winning book The One and Only Ivan for Disney, and Jolie has been voicing one of the characters, which is probably how she ended up at the Survivor show."

On-set sources claim that Jolie "mostly kept to herself" on the night, keeping one eye on the kids she brought along (the exact lineup is unconfirmed, but THR used the term "flock") while enjoying the festivities. Those festivities reportedly carried on at her place, with the actress inviting several of the cast members back for an after party.

In December 2018, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt finally reached a custody agreement, bringing their two-year battle to an end. A statement released by Jolie's attorney, Samantha Bley DeJean, (via Entertainment Tonight) said the agreement was "based on the recommendations of the child custody evaluator" and guaranteed that the children didn't have to go through the ordeal of a trial. "The filing and details of the agreement are confidential to protect the best interests of the children," DeJean added.

A Hollywood Life insider claimed that "Brad ended up getting more custody time than Angelina wanted him to," but not every piece of news that's come from Angelina's camp since the custody announcement has been negative. In January 2019, a different source told the same outlet that all of Jolie-Pitt kids are starting to show similar traits to their father, and Angelina couldn't be happier about it. "It warms her heart to think the kids are taking on some of the amazing qualities she fell in love with in Brad," the insider said.

Picking up the pieces after Brangelina has been difficult, but things seem to be calming down a little. The exes reportedly met in person on two occasions in the weeks before they agreed to joint custody, which can only be a good sign. Here's hoping the family can rediscover its happiness within these new dynamics.