Angelina Jolie shares rare comment on children's estrangement from ex-husband Brad Pitt after surname changes
Angelina Jolie has offered fans a rare insight into her children's estrangement from her ex Brad Pitt.
The 51-year-old Hollywood A-lister's divorce from Fight Club actor Pitt, 62, was officially finalised in December 2024, ending an eight-year legal battle that began when Jolie initially filed for divorce in September 2016.
The former couple share six children: Maddox, 24, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20, Pax, 22, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 17.
Although all of the children originally used the surname Jolie-Pitt, many of them have since dropped 'Pitt' following their parents' split and now just go by 'Jolie' instead.
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Speaking to Variety in a new interview published Wednesday (17 June), Jolie alluded to her divorce from Pitt, telling the outlet that they 'still like her'.
"I think my fighting spirit is finally back," she shared.
"I lost it for a bit. I got kind of taken down a little bit, and it’s coming back in large part thanks to my children, who are now older, and encouraging it."
The Couture star continued: "My kids are almost all 18, so now they want to see me travelling the world, they want me to get out and do things. They know me more than anybody, and they still like me, which says a lot.
"I think they’re very encouraging of me kind of getting back to aspects of myself that maybe I hadn’t felt as free to do."
Ahead of splitting from Pitt, Jolie decided she was done with acting, but ultimately decided to stick with it for the benefit of her children.
"I had kind of quit acting before my divorce," she explained. "I was focusing on directing, and I thought I’d be doing my international work.
"But then suddenly, the only way to be home more and for short periods of time, being away or to make a good amount of money, was to go back to acting."
The humanitarian added: "I was only taking things that were short or close by, or I could take [my children]."
Jolie and Pitt started dating in 2005 before getting married in 2014 and eventually calling it quits in 2016.
She filed a lawsuit against her Pitt in 2022, claiming he had been abusive towards her and their children during a flight in 2016, which led to their public divorce.
Pitt's legal team has maintained his innocence since.
Tyla has reached out to Brad Pitt's representatives for comment.
Topics: Angelina Jolie, Celebrity, Parenting, Brad Pitt
Rhiannon Ingle