Everything Brad Pitt Has Said About His Kids

For years Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were considered the "it couple" of Hollywood and during their 12-year relationship, they spent time building a large family together.

However, since their surprise split in 2016, the couple's dissolution of their nearly two-year marriage has been tumultuous. It has been marred by court battles, assault allegations and more recently, an Instagram post from one of Pitt's children calling him a "world class a******."

Newsweek reached out to a representative of Pitt's for comment via email on Wednesday.

The former couple—who met in 2004 on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith—share three adopted and three biological kids together. Jolie became a mom for the first time when she adopted Maddox from an orphanage in Cambodia in 2002 and adopted Zahara from Ethiopia in 2005 while Pitt accompanied her on her second trip to the country to make the adoption official and adopted Zahara and Maddox himself in 2006.

This was also the year that the couple welcomed their daughter Shiloh and in 2007, Jolie adopted Pax from Vietnam, who Pitt adopted in 2008. The couple also welcomed twins, Knox and Vivienne, later that year.

Jolie and Pitt tied the knot in 2014 but shocked the world when they announced their separation two years later. They underwent a custody battle in September 2016, which initially granted Jolie sole custody of their brood, while Pitt only received visitation rights.

He was later awarded joint custody in May 2021 but the decision was later overturned. After winning an appeal against it, Jolie still has sole custody over their kids, while Pitt can visit the minor children. As the children get older, they will have the autonomy to determine whether or not they wish to maintain contact with their father.

Newsweek has detailed everything Pitt has said about his children over the years as well as the rare things his children have said about their father.

What Has Brad Pitt Said About His Children?

May 2011

In an interview with USA Weekend, Pitt opened up about his life with Jolie and their six children, as well as having to deal with paparazzi.

"We're hunted. Our kids have to live behind a gate. Outside, there are people with cameras... But I'll take the trade-off. I never knew I was capable of experiencing so much love," he said.

"Angie and I do everything we can to carve out some semblance of normalcy for them, to re-create the kinds of moments that were special for us," he said about their parenting approach. "It's not unusual for the kids to be covered in paint. We have mud fights. It's chaos from morning until the lights go out, and sometimes after that."

November 2014

"I care about [my children] more than I care about myself, which I think is the real definition of love. You see past yourself and become more generous and giving, and wanting only the best for your family," he told Psychologies Magazine, according to ABC News.

November 2015

"Listen, Angie and I were aiming for a dozen, but we crapped out after six," he told The Telegraph, as reported by E! News.

"Everyone talks about the joy of having kids—blah, blah, blah. But I never knew how much I could love something until I looked in the faces of my children."

He said while their house can be "chaos, total chaos" at times, he said that it's "so much fun." Pitt insisted that despite his and Jolie's fame, his children's lives are quite "normal."

"Because we're migratory workers in a sense, they have this wonderful thing where they get to be students of the world. They have memories of being in Vietnam, or that time in Paris, or over in Calgary," he said. "The downside is friends, sleepovers, team sports—these have been the challenges that we've had to work out. We do those things, but we really have to go out of our way. And mom is a matador about it all—she's fantastic. We get their friends to us a lot."

May 2017

During an interview with the Associated Press, the Fight Club actor spoke about the mark his children have left on him. "Kids are everything. Kids are your life. They're taking all the focus, as they should anyway," he said.

That same year, Pitt spoke to GQ about his and Jolie's divorce, quitting drinking and his children.

Speaking about the divorce battle being made public, he said: "I worry about it more for my kids, being subjected to it, and their friends getting ideas from it."

He continued: "I was really on my back and chained to a system when Child Services was called ... We're both doing our best. I heard one lawyer say, 'No one wins in court—it's just a matter of who gets hurt worse.' ... It's just very, very jarring for the kids, to suddenly have their family ripped apart."

He also told the interviewer that he wished he'd focused less on work and instead dedicated more time to his children.

"When I get in that busy work mode, I'm not hearing. I want to be better at that. I gotta be more. I gotta be more for them. I have to show them. And I haven't been great at it," he said.

December 2019

Pitt talked candidly with Anthony Hopkins for Interview Magazine about how his perspective on life had changed as he'd grown older.

"I find myself, at this latter stage, much more moved," he explained. "Moved by my kids, moved by friends, moved by the news. Just moved."

January 2020

During the award season, the movie producer talked about how he plans to celebrate his success with his kids.

"There's not been much time for festivities," he told Entertainment Tonight. "There's a reason why they call it a season. When it's all said and done, we will definitely do it."

February 2020

After winning an Oscar for the first time for his performance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Pitt used the opportunity to devote the moment to his family.

"This is for my kids who color everything I do. I adore you," he said during his acceptance for the Best Supporting Actor.

Once Pitt was in the press room following his big win, a reporter asked if he'd allow his kids to take on acting as a career. He responded: "We can have that conversation once they turn 18!"

He then shared what he hopes for the future of his children, adding: "I want them to follow their bliss, follow their passions, whatever they're most interested in. It's about guiding as you can, but they get to try everything on and try what their passion is."

August 2022

Amid news that Zahara would be attending Spelman College, the actor told reporters at the Los Angeles premiere of Bullet Train on August 1 that he's "so proud of her."

"She's so smart," he said, as reported by Vanity Fair. "She's going to flourish even more at college. It's an exciting and beautiful time to find her own way and pursue her interests."

The topic of Shiloh's dancing, which videos of had been posted on social media, was also brought up. Pitt told Entertainment Tonight that it's been "very beautiful" to see her in action.

"It brings a tear to the eye, yeah. I don't know where she got it from. I'm Mr. Two-Left-Feet here," he said.

"I love when they find their own way, find things they are interested in and flourish."

What Have Brad Pitt's Children Said About Him?

The Daily Mail has recently resurfaced an Instagram Story post that was written in 2020 by Pax about his father. They report that Pax posted a photo of Pitt being awarded an Oscar for his role in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and added his thoughts over the top.

"Happy Father's Day to this world class a******!! You time and time and again prove yourself to be a terrible and despicable person," he wrote.

"You have no consideration or empathy toward your four youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence. You will never understand the damage you have done to my family because you are incapable of doing so.

"You have made the lives of those closest to me a constant hell. You may tell yourself and the world whatever you want, but the truth will come to light someday. So, Happy Father's Day, you f*****g awful human being!!!"

This year, Zahara became a member of sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha at Spelman College, which is the first historically Black sorority. As Zahara introduced herself during her induction ceremony, she notably skipped mentioning her famous dad's last name.

As her sorority sisters stood in formation, she said: "My name is Zahara Marley Jolie!"