Brad Pitt is said to have 'virtually no contact' with some of his children, with chances of reconciling reportedly looking slim.
His youngest son, Knox, 16, dazzled alongside his proud mother Angelina Jolie, 49, on the red carpet at the Governors Awards on Sunday, with Brad notably absent. As the glamorous pair posed for photos together, with the teen towering over his mother, fans all pointed out his striking resemblance to his alleged estranged father.
The Hollywood actor, 60, and his ex-wife are parents to six kids: Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 17, and twins Knox, 16, and Vivienne. And while they are often snapped with the Lara Croft star, it's a different story with Brad. With a busy filming schedule in Europe, it has been reportedly difficult for the star to spend time with his younger kids, while his eldest are reportedly refusing to speak to him.
Knox hasn't been pictured with his dad for more than a decade, with the last public photograph of them together taken in 2013, when they were seen leaving Tokyo, Japan from Haneda International Airport. Knox's appearance comes after his older sister Shiloh Jolie-Pitt filed a request in June to legally drop the Pitt from her name, changing it to Shiloh Jolie - which reportedly left Brad "upset".
She wasted no time in requesting the change having filed the paperwork on her 18th birthday, when she assumed rights as an adult. Speaking about the star's strained relationships with his eldest, a source told People: "He has virtually no contact with the adult kids.
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Variety via Getty Images)"His engagement with the younger kids is more limited in recent months because of his filming schedule." The source also claimed that Angelina, who lives in LA, has their children most of the time while Brad has visits with the younger teens. He is currently filming in Europe for his new racing movie, F1.
Shiloh - who is Brad's biological daughter - is the latest of the siblings to make their feelings about their father well known. Her older sister, Zahara, also chose to drop their famous father's surname.
In a video that went viral, Zahara introduced herself as Zahara Marley Jolie during her initiation into the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Spelman College last year. Vivienne has also been plunged into the spotlight recently after distancing herself from Pitt, using only the name Vivienne Jolie in a playbill for her performance in The Outsiders. Whether the other siblings have legally changed their names remains unclear.
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GC Images)Their brother Pax meanwhile had some harsh words for his dad on Father's Day. In a bitter online message, he lambasted his father, calling him an "a------."
Pax's post read: "You time and time and again prove yourself to be a terrible and despicable person. 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------ awful human being," Pax finished with a sting.
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Getty Images for Netflix)The rows follow a custody dispute that erupted between Angelina and Brad after their split in 2016. A source told People magazine, "Since Angelina filed for divorce, Brad has been focused on having the best relationship possible with his kids. It's been very difficult for him. Many times, there have been long gaps where he didn't see the kids at all."
It perhaps comes as no surprise their relationship is so strained, after Angelina filed a complaint against Brad in October 2022 where she provided details of his alleged abusive behaviour with allegations of harm against both Angelia and their children. The documents were filed as part of their legal battle over a winery they previously owned together.
Angelina claimed Brad had both a verbal and physical meltdown in September 2016 on a flight from France to California. The New York Times quoted the documents as stating that "Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face" and "grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her". It reportedly also claimed he had poured beer on Angelina and both beer and red wine on the children. Angelina filed for divorce just days after the alleged incident.
Pitt's lawyer Anne Kiley said the star had been on the receiving end of "every type of personal attack and misrepresentation" since he split from Angelina. "Brad has owned everything he's responsible for from day one – unlike the other side – but he's not going to own anything he didn't do," said Kiley. "He has been on the receiving end of every type of personal attack and misrepresentation. Thankfully, the various public authorities the other side has tried to use against him over the past six years have made their own independent decisions. Brad will continue to respond in court as he has consistently done."
The Mirror contacted Brad Pitt's representatives for comment.