Angelina Jolie's Help May Not Be Enough to Fix Brad Pitt's Relationship with Their Kids
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were once the picture of a perfect family — and we fully believe that they can be again, even though that family might look very different. Right now, however, the ex-couple is still struggling with family wounds caused by their 2016 fight on a flight from Nice, during which Pitt was reportedly inebriated and aggressive in the presence of their children. Jolie filed for divorce immediately after the incident, and has largely reconciled with Pitt in the years that followed. But Pitt’s relationship to eldest sons Maddox and Pax is currently described as “non-existent,” and he’s struggling to regain his kids’ trust. Though Jolie has now reportedly begun encouraging their children to fix things with their father, sources aren’t so convinced there’s a clear path forward.
Maddox, age 19, and Pax, age 16, have expressed the least interest in re-establishing contact with their father, with the former having cut off contact well before he left for college in South Korea. At the time, Jolie appears to have been respecting her sons’ wishes to proceed as they pleased with their father, but a new source tells Us that, as her own relationship with Pitt improves, she’s increasingly interested in helping him repair his relationship with the boys.
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“[Jolie] has been advocating for a reconciliation,” the source claims. But others close to the couple aren’t so sure that the Maleficent star’s heart is in it, or whether it would even be successful if it was.
“He’s holding on to a lot of anger,” the source admits of Maddox, noting that the son was still far behind his father in terms of enthusiasm for reconnecting.
As all co-parents know well, just getting the adults in the room on the same side is a huge win — and if Jolie and Pitt are starting to get more a better shared understanding of their new ideal family dynamics, that’s fantastic. Maddox, Pax, and their other kids will still have to move at their own pace when it comes to establishing a new relationship with their dad. But no matter its effect, we’re sure that Pitt is grateful for Jolie’s newfound support.
Click here to see more celebrities with huge families like the Jolie-Pitts.
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