Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt went from being one of the industry’s most doted-on couples to bitter exes ensnared in a cauldron of controversy. Toward the end of their relationship, things became all the more tumultuous when they waged a highly publicized and destructive legal war against each other.
Even their children ended up getting embroiled in their parents’ acrimonious conflict, and as horrifying as it might’ve been, it’s fitting that their relationship, which was cemented by their son, would ultimately come to an end by dint of him. (At the very least, Pitt’s aggressive behavior toward him did act as a catalyst for their separation, so there’s that).
The ‘Defining Moment’ in Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt’s Love Life
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt‘s romance simmered down just as scandalously as it first came to life circa 2004 when they were filming their spy thriller Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Although the Hollywood sweethearts tied the knot much later in 2014, they’d been together for a decade or so before they finally got married. But perhaps their dreamy wedding would never even have materialized had it not been for their adopted son, Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt.
In an old interview with Vogue, the Maleficent star opened up about a heartfelt instance involving Maddox and Pitt, one which turned out to be the very kernel of their relationship since it was that very moment which made her realize she wanted to start a family with her beau. Maddox, who was just 5 years old at the time, out of nowhere addressed Pitt as his father, and that expression of love and acceptance was more than enough for Jolie to want to take the next big step in their life.
“One day, Maddox just out of the blue called him Dad. It was amazing. We were playing with cars on the floor of a hotel room, and we both heard it and didn’t say anything and just looked at each other. So that was probably the most defining moment, when he decided that we would all be a family.”
Over time, however, father and son’s equation would undergo quite some transitions before Pitt would go on to acquire joint custody of his kids with Jolie.
Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt & Brad Pitt’s Stormy Relationship
Maddox, 21, was adopted by Jolie, 48, from an orphanage in Cambodia back in 2002. Just a year or so after, Pitt, 59, started dating the actress/humanitarian, and later the Bullet Train star adopted him in 2006 as well. And while the two bonded significantly during Maddox’s childhood, they didn’t always get along at every given instance. But things took a turn for the worse in 2016 when Pitt and his son reportedly got into a hostile altercation on a flight, an incident that would crystallize Jolie’s decision to file for divorce.
Back in the fall of 2019, the actor/filmmaker, as per US Weekly, had been keen on mending his fractured relationship with Maddox and was willing to go the extra mile to get back in the latter’s good graces. But a year down the line and their estrangement only became impossible to thaw with neither of them in touch with the other.
Pitt had initially been denied custody in 2021, however, he managed to win joint custody of his children with Jolie later and is currently reportedly trying to maintain a relationship with their minor kids.
Source: People
