Images of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s children enjoying quality time with their family reveal how close they were before the couple’s bitter divorce led to a lack of contact that lasted almost a decade.
Brad, 60, has distanced himself from his daughter Shiloh, 18, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 16, as well as his three adopted children, Maddox, 23, Pax, 20, and Zahara, 19. , since an explosive fight on their private jet in In 2016, Angelina, 49, filed for divorce.
The estrangement has not only crushed the actor, but also his parents, William and Jane Pitt, who have tried desperately to maintain a relationship over the years, sending each other birthday and Christmas cards to no avail.
Now, insiders have shed light on how the lack of contact has been felt by members of Brad’s family, including his nephews and nieces, who are also mourning the close bond they once shared with their cousins.
“When it happened to Brad, his family was very focused on him getting help for his alcoholism,” a source told DailyMail.com.
‘The Pitts did their best to stay in touch with the children, but some members of their family struggled to contain their frustration at the fallout and, as a result, Angelina cut off contact with the children.
Brad Pitt’s family, including his parents, siblings and nephews, are mourning the close bond they once shared with their children (pictured with his parents and Angelina Jolie)
Photos of twins Knox and Vivienne, now 16, with Brad’s niece Sydney (above), reveal how close the cousins were before the couple’s bitter divorce tore them apart.
‘The children were young, so any contact had to go through their mother. And now, almost nine years later, they are no longer in a relationship.
Shortly after their separation, Brad admitted he had a drinking problem and entered therapy, spending a year and a half in Alcoholics Anonymous.
Then in 2020, he publicly thanked his friend Bradley Cooper for helping him get sober.
For William, also known as Bill, 83, and Jane, 84, all their attempts to try to maintain a relationship with their beloved grandchildren have so far been in vain.
“His parents still send cards on Christmas and birthdays, although they get no response,” the source continued.
Bill and Jane, who were incredibly fond of Brad’s first wife, Jennifer Aniston, are also parents to Doug Pitt and Julie Neal, whose children are close.
Doug has Sydney, Landon and Regan with wife Lisa, while Julie is mother to Caleb, twin daughters Josie and Rylie, as well as adopted sons Caden and Cruz, whom she shares with husband Scott Neal.
The close-knit family regularly shares images with their cousins and grandparents on Instagram, and Brad’s children frequently appear in previous posts, something that stopped following his separation from Angelina.
Brad’s niece, Sydney, appeared to express her sadness over the lack of contact with her cousins in February 2017 when she shared a photo of Knox and Vivienne in Santa Barbara and wrote, “I miss my babies and this place a little more today.” the usual.”
A source said: “It was very important to Brad that the children met their cousins, especially when Angelina is separated from her father and brother” (Vivienne pictured with her cousin Sydney)
Sydney shared a photo of the twins in February 2017, five months after the plane incident, and told her followers she missed them (pictured).
Revealing how close the family had once been, the source added: ‘They went to Missouri for family reunions several times a year and spent weeks together at Brad’s house in California during the summer.
“It was very important to Brad that the children know their cousins, especially when Angelina is separated from her father and brother.”
Pictures taken over the years show the children spending time at Brad’s $20 million oceanfront property with their cousins during family vacations.
They suffered new headaches when Zahara dropped ‘Pitt’ from her last name in November 2023, before Vivienne did the same in June this year. Shiloh joined them in August when he paid for your own lawyer to officially get rid of ‘Pitt.’
“The Pitt family is very close and wears his last name like a badge of honor,” the source explained. ‘The fact that some of Brad’s kids have decided to leave this behind is mind-boggling. The family can’t understand it.’
They added: “Of course, Shi was showing solidarity with his mother, but it became clear where he stood.”
But despite this, the family will “continue to keep their doors open” and is hopeful that “some of the children will be able to see the importance of family as they grow and will grow closer to it.”
Brad shares his daughter Shiloh, 18, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 16, with the actress, as well as three adopted children, Maddox, 23, Pax, 20, and Zahara, 19.
The close-knit family regularly shares pictures with their cousins and grandparents on Instagram, but hasn’t posted photos with Brad’s kids since 2016.
The Pitt family photographed together with Angelina and the children at a reunion several years before they separated.
A source close to Angelina said: ‘She has not blocked communication of any kind. Children send Christmas and birthday gifts to their grandparents, they have seen them and been in touch.’
Bill and Jane were last photographed in public with their grandchildren at the 2014 premiere of Angelina’s film, Unbroken.
Brad took the children and their parents to the Hollywood premiere in place of the actress, who had contracted chickenpox.
Jane had nothing but praise for Angelina at the time, telling reporters: ‘We are very proud of Angie. This means a lot to our family, especially our grandchildren. We love her very much.’
Angelina had spoken fondly of Brad’s parents in the past for how they had accepted her adopted children.
“When I met them, I arrived with two children adopted from other countries and I didn’t know what they were going to be like,” he said. “But they are equally affectionate with them.”
For 2016, the Actress Maleficent had filed for divorce after just two years of marriage and family relations apparently broke down.
Three years later, in 2019, Brad and Angelina were declared legally single. However, the stars are still embroiled in an ongoing battle over their Chateau Miraval property.
The source added: “They went to Missouri for family reunions several times a year and spent weeks together at Brad’s house in California during the summer.”
The couple’s youngest children, twins Knox and Vivienne, recently went out with their mother to industry events, with the latter dropping ‘Pitt’ from her last name.
Brad’s relationship with his children has deteriorated to the point that he has “virtually no contact” with the three oldest.
The actress has been accused of deliberately trying to drive a wedge between Brad and his six children over the years.
After walking arm in arm with Knox at the Governor’s Awards on Monday, a source told DailyMail.com that Brad feels she has turned his brood against him.
“Of course, he’s upset that Angelina turned them against him,” they said. ‘She did this when everyone was young and didn’t even have a chance to make a decision about him.
“He believes that, in time, his children will come back into his life.”
In May, former British SAS soldier Tony Webb, who worked for the family for more than 20 years from 2000, claimed his colleague told him he overheard Angelina “encouraging the children to avoid spending time with Pitt during family visits.” custody”.
Court documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court detailing the explosive claims became public as part of the ongoing “War of the Roses,” with the A-list couple locked in a battle over their rights to sell their French vineyard.
The former power couple, who married at the Provence estate in the south of France in 2014, will face off in court next year.