The Stunning Transformation Of Maddox Jolie-Pitt
The Jolie-Pitts were a household name in the 2000s. How wouldn't they be? The rising superstardom of two celebrities, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, fondly known as Brangelina, was sure to make headlines. After meeting on the set of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," their romance was anything but boring, and more so was their ever-growing family tree.
All in all, Pitt and Jolie share six children – three adopted and three biological — with Maddox Jolie-Pitt being their eldest son. It's a unique challenge to navigate your childhood with the whole world watching, and even more of a feat to do so gracefully. However, Jolie-Pitt is a prime example of someone able to do just that. There's definitely more than meets the eye when it comes to him. Let's take a look at his stunning transformation throughout the years, from his serendipitous meeting with Jolie as an orphan to his journey to Seoul for higher education.
He was born in Cambodia
Until the early 2000s, Angelina Jolie never saw motherhood on the cards for her, which may come as a surprise since she takes on the role of a mother so well. Cambodia played a big part in Jolie's changed perspective on motherhood. During a visit to a local school as a United Nations goodwill ambassador, she had an epiphany, "my son is in the country, somewhere" (via Entertainment Tonight).
Jolie first laid eyes on Maddox Jolie-Pitt at an orphanage in Battambang, Cambodia. "Maddox — that's the beginning of my family: Mad and I coming together was the beginning of so much," Jolie told the Hollywood Reporter. Prior to her visit to Battambang, she decided that she would only visit one orphanage. After meeting with all the children and not connecting with them, she was told there was one more child left. And that was when she finally saw him, the last child in the orphanage "suspended from the ceiling" who, after being in her arms, woke up and greeted her with a smile (via Vanity Fair).
The "Maleficent" star enthusiastically shared their first encounter on ABC News, "Maddox was the last child I saw. And he was asleep, and they put him in my arms, and he stayed asleep. Then he opened his eyes, and he smiled, and I cried, and I felt like this kid is okay being in my arms, and he accepts me" (via YouTube).
He is the eldest child of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
Maddox Jolie-Pitt was in Angelina Jolie's life before Brad Pitt entered the picture. His name went through a couple of changes: His birth name Rath Vibol was later changed to Maddox Chivan Thornton upon his adoption in 2002. At the time, Jolie was still wed to Billy Bob Thornton. Shortly after his adoption, however, they ended their marriage. This gave his mother full custody and resulted in the removal of Thornton from his legal name.
In 2016, a few months after the birth of Jolie and Pitt's first biological child Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, Pitt legally adopted Maddox and his sister Zahara Jolie-Pitt. "They're as much of my blood as any natural born, and I'm theirs. That's all I can say about it. I can't live without them. So: Anyone considering (adoption), that's my vote," Pitt shared with Esquire. With this move came his final name change to Maddox Jolie-Pitt. Maddox, or Mad, in short, means "fortunate" in Welsh, while Chivan is a Khmer word that means "life."
He is well-traveled
It's a unique opportunity to be a 4-year-old with so many stamps on their passport, and Maddox Jolie-Pitt was one of those kids. Whether going on a vacation, a premiere for a new movie, shooting a film, or a humanitarian trip — he wasn't far behind. The A-list couple had no intentions of leaving their children at home, except, of course, if they expressed their intentions not to join.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were known for being jet-setters, and luckily Jolie-Pitt assimilated quickly into the jet-setter lifestyle he was born into. Jolie said to Today, "I'm very proud when I see my children, Mad, who's four, just how he adjusts to different places in the world and different people and his views and the kind of man he's gonna be." Last-minute trips weren't a problem for him or any of his other siblings; Jolie said to W Magazine it might be in part that they "see the world as a home," she continued, "I've seen Mad run through the markets of Addis Ababa [in Ethiopia] and not notice that it's very poor, or that everyone is African or that he's Asian. It wouldn't matter to him."
He is Angelina Jolie's 'best buddy'
"When your children are your best friends, it's a nice life," Angelina Jolie shared in an interview with "Entertainment Tonight." Maddox Jolie-Pitt is a momma's boy, and Jolie is sure to gush about him at every chance.
In a 2007 interview with MSN, Jolie raved about her close relationship with her son, then age 6, "He's like my best buddy. Just the coolest little person I've ever met." Jolie-Pitt even jokingly called his mom Angie, "He thinks it's hysterical! He does [still call me mommy] ... but when he's being silly with me, it's Angie," People also reported.
They even shared a fondness for knives. Typical for a child his age, perhaps, but to Jolie, it's something that runs in the family. Jolie bought her first daggers with her mother at 11 or 12. For safe measure, she only got her son the knives with dulled blades. With this shared interest came discussions on violence and samurais. "We also talk about samurais and about the idea of defending someone as good. We talk about everything," Jolie said to W Magazine.
He is very close to his siblings
From a very young age, Maddox Jolie-Pit had the makings of a great big brother. On a visit to Ethiopia with his parents, he expressed his love of Africa to Jolie, "He has been asking for an African brother or sister" (via People). Maddox accompanied his mother to the orphanage and noticed a child in particular that needed care. In that same year, Jolie finalized her adoption of Zahara Jolie-Pitt. "Maddox and I are very happy to have a new addition to our family," Jolie added.
It's safe to say that the bond of the Jolie-Pitt siblings has withstood the test of time. "I think they've had a very significant effect on each other," Jolie shared. A prime example came years later when Maddox left for college, and all his siblings rushed to the car to say farewell before he left. Jolie shared this proud moment to Entertainment Tonight, "When you know the kids love each other without any prompting [...] you feel like they're gonna be okay, they're always gonna have each other."
An incident on a private plane changed the Jolie-Pitt family dynamics
In 2016, 14-year-old Maddox Jolie-Pitt and his father, Brad Pitt, reportedly got into an altercation in front of the whole family. The actual events that transpired on the plane remain uncertain. At the time, child abuse was ruled out, and the FBI dropped all charges. However, it was still more than enough for Jolie to file for a divorce. She shared with The Guardian, "I'm not the kind of person who makes decisions like the decisions I had to make lightly. It took a lot for me to be in a position where I felt I had to separate from the father of my children."
In an ongoing legal battle for their previously co-owned winery Chateau Miraval, Jolie detailed what she described as Pitt's abusive behavior towards her and their children. According to the countersuit claim from Jolie, Pitt allegedly "choked one of the children and struck another in the face."
Five days after said incident, the divorce papers cited irreconcilable differences. This was the beginning of one of the most extended high-profile custody battles. For the most part, Jolie and Pitt have agreed to keep the legal proceedings as civil as possible for the sake of their children.
He had his first stint as executive producer of a movie at the age of 16
It's not every day that a 16-year-old has an executive producer role. In 2017, Maddox Jolie-Pitt executive produced the Netflix film "First They Killed My Father" directed by his mother, Angelina Jolie. Pax Jolie-Pitt, his younger brother, served as the movie's set photographer. The film is based on the best-selling memoir of Loung Ung, a Cambodian human-rights activist, author, and close friend of Jolie. It follows the story of a child that survived the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia.
Tackling this story also offered a one-of-a-kind experience to learn about his nation's history, culture, and people. Jolie-Pitt definitely didn't play a passive role in this process; he was very diligent and hands-on. Jolie shared more about her son's work ethic: "He's very studious, much more than I am ... when we did our notes in the production meetings, his notes were always better than mine" (via YouTube). This experience was a testament to not only an excellent mother-and-son relationship but a productive working relationship to boot. Jolie-Pitt told People, "[Jolie is] fun, funny, and easy to work with."
He can speak multiple languages
Maddox Jolie-Pitt is full of surprises. His mother was shocked to find that he was taking up Russian and German and fluent in French — all at the age of 16. As per The Hollywood Reporter, he also speaks a little Khmer. Is there anything he can't do? We wouldn't be surprised if he decides to add more to that list down the line.
Jolie-Pitt, along with the rest of his siblings, was homeschooled. Their roster of teachers was as diverse as the Jolie-Pitt clan, they were of different cultural backgrounds and also spoke multiple languages. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Jolie shared praise for her son: "Mad's a real intellectual, which I can take no credit for genetically. He's great at school and great at history. He feels like he could be a writer or travel the world and learn about places and things."
He is a proud Cambodian
Cambodia holds a special place for Maddox Pitt-Jolie and his mother, Angelina Jolie. He is not one to forget his roots. Above all else, what he loves most about his home country is the people, "[They are] calm, relaxed, and when they want to do something wild, they do it — much like me in a way. I'm proud to be a Cambodian" he shared with People. Jolie-Pitt was in his element back home; Jolie told Vogue, "When I see Mad in Cambodia, it's his home. He is a Cambodian man, and at the same time, he is also an American citizen and a global citizen."
Before working on the Netflix title "First They Killed My Father," Jolie-Pitt had already been to Cambodia a couple of times — he was not a stranger to his home country, in that sense. Working on set, however, took this understanding of the country a step further, "It was a way for him to walk in the steps that most likely his birth parents walked," Jolie told Vanity Fair. He even made friends with the children on set, and they had their own sleepovers.
Angelina Jolie immersed Maddox's siblings in his Cambodian heritage
The whole Jolie-Pitt clan joined during the filming of "First They Killed My Father." While Maddox Jolie-Pitt and Pax Jolie-Pitt were working on set, the rest of the siblings were on the sidelines, immersed in the experience in their own way. Bringing the whole family was Jolie's way of exposing each child to their birth country while ensuring their siblings had that same opportunity. "The boys [Maddox and Pax] know they're from Southeast Asia, and they have their food and their music and their friends, and they have a pride particular to them. But I want them to be just as interested in the history of their sisters' countries and Mommy's country, so we don't start dividing," Jolie explained to Vanity Fair.
The siblings have come across people questioning their kinship due to their diversity. This isn't an issue for Angelina Jolie though, who doesn't care much for genetics. Openness is a virtue in the Jolie-Pitt household, "'Adoption' and 'orphanage' are positive words in our home," Jolie shared with Vogue India. In Jolie's opinion, diversity is one of their greatest strengths, "I'm so blessed to be able to be a mother to children of different parts of the world and to learn about different cultures through them." In her eyes, their differences did not divide them; they brought them closer together.
In 2019, he started studying biochemistry in Korea
It's time to add Korean to the number of languages in Maddox Jolie-Pitt's arsenal. In 2019, he began his biochemistry degree at Yonsei University in South Korea. Yonsei University is a prestigious institution regarded as one of the top three universities in the country.
Angelina Jolie tried her best to hold back her tears as she dropped off her eldest son at his new campus. She helped him settle into his dorm and accompanied him on a tour of the grounds. Bittersweet as it may be for her to send off her eldest son, she's still looked forward to this chapter of his life. In an interview with "Entertainment Tonight," Jolie shared, "I'm so proud of him. I'm so excited; I feel like my world expands as their world expands [...] I love this stage." As she also told the outlet, "It might be a bit easier [considering the other children are still at home with her]."
He had to move back in with his family due to COVID-19
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Maddox Jolie-Pitt cut his university experience short or at least traded it in momentarily for online classes. After a semester at Yonsei University, he packed his bags to temporarily move back home. Due to the lockdown, all six children were back together. Since the Jolie-Pitts' were already close as it is, we weren't surprised to find that it wasn't much of an adjustment having their big brother back. In fact, it gave them more time to bond. They kept themselves busy playing a game they made up as a family called "dark tag," Jolie shared, which basically entails playing tag with the lights off. Four months into the pandemic, they got pretty good at it.
Aside from catching up with the family and getting free haircuts from his mom, he also used this time away from campus to catch up on his Korean and Russian lessons, People reported.
He showed his tattoos for the first time in British Vogue
Early on, Maddox Jolie-Pitt exhibited signs of promise both intellectually and as a family-oriented big brother. But don't mistake him for being a goody two-shoes. He still balanced it all out by living life as a teenager should. "He's balanced," Jolie shared with "Entertainment Tonight," "I'm so happy for him that [Maddox has] grown up into such a good man."
Jolie-Pitt had a few surprises up his sleeves, or under his shirt, to be specific. Jolie mentioned that Jolie-Pitt was tattooed in the interview in 2019, but the rest was left to the imagination. That was until the tattoos were finally revealed in a candid photo of Jolie cutting her son's hair in British Vogue. He had not one, but two tattoos: one snake tattoo along his torso and another mid-sized one along his forearm. Aside from their shared love of knives, Jolie's love for body art probably rubbed off on him, too.
His relationship with his father Brad Pitt is unclear
The 2016 private plane incident was apparently a pivotal moment in the relationship between Maddox Jolie-Pitt and his father, Brad Pitt. Three years later, a paparazzo approached Maddox Jolie-Pitt while on campus at Yonsei University (via YouTube). He conducted an ambush interview where he asked about the estranged father. "How about your dad? Is he going to come and visit?" he asked. Jolie-Pitt responded, "I don't know about that. I don't know what's happening." The paparazzo continued to pry by asking whether or not the relationship was over, to which Jolie-Pitt responded, "Whatever happens, happens."
His composure throughout speaks volumes of how he was raised. A viewer remarked, "No matter what you think about his parents, he's a very polite young man. He handled that interview like a pro. The university should beef up security, so he doesn't have to deal with this kind of foolishness." It seems that Jolie-Pitt is open to whatever happens moving forward, and he hasn't shut any doors, but we do hope that a reconciliation is in the cards for this estranged pair.
Maddox reportedly testified against Brad Pitt in a 2021 custody hearing
Angelina Jolie caused an uproar when she filed for divorce from Brad Pitt in 2016. Not only did the split put an end to their iconic "Brangelina" union, but it also sparked a bitter custody dispute. After the breakup, Jolie received custody of all six children, and Pitt was granted visitation. In 2021, Pitt gained 50/50 custody of the kids; however, the courts later reversed the ruling. Ultimately, Jolie won the court battle and maintained full custody of her brood. A source allegedly told Us Weekly that Maddox Jolie-Pitt also testified against Pitt during the trial. The source stated: "Maddox has already given testimony as [an] adult in the ongoing custody dispute and it wasn't very flattering toward Brad."
The insider also claimed that Jolie-Pitt has considered changing his last name. "He doesn't use Pitt as his last name on documents that aren't legal and instead uses Jolie," the source dished. "Maddox wants to legally change his last name to Jolie, which Angelina has said she doesn't support."
Throughout their legal battles, Pitt's supporters have railed against Jolie, with one source alleging, "there have been a number of claims made by Angelina that have been reviewed and not substantiated." Still, Jolie-Pitt's behavior towards Pitt speaks volumes. Although we don't know all the details about their strained relationship, it's reasonable to assume that Jolie-Pitt feels hurt and betrayed by his father.
Maddox Jolie-Pitt worked on the set of Angelina's 2022 film, 'Without Blood'
Despite having movie star parents, Maddox Jolie-Pitt prefers a low-key life. He stays largely out of the spotlight and doesn't have a public social media presence. In college, he chose to study biochemistry rather than seeking a degree in the entertainment field. By all accounts, Jolie-Pitt doesn't seem likely to follow in his parents' Hollywood footsteps. In 2022, Angelina Jolie told People that she supports her children regardless of their career paths. "I'm proud that they are all very much their own people," the filmmaker stated. "Very different and still a very close family that learns from each other."
Although he's likelier to work in a science lab than on a movie set, Jolie-Pitt has been known to dabble in the film industry. After earning his first producer credit in 2017, Jolie-Pitt worked closely with the assistant director of "Without Blood," which was filmed in 2022. The movie is Angelina Jolie's fifth directorial venture, and as of late 2023, it remains in post-production. The project was a family affair, with Jolie-Pitt's younger brother Pax Jolie-Pitt working alongside him on set. Speaking with People, Jolie said she was thrilled to work with her sons on another film. "We work well together," she gushed. "When a film crew at its best, it feels like a big family, so it felt natural."
Maddox Jolie-Pitt has a special connection with his sister Zahara
Maddox Jolie-Pitt shares a bond with all of his siblings, but he seems to have a built-in BFF in his sister, Zahara Jolie. For one thing, they were the first children to join the Jolie-Pitt family. Maddox was only 3 years old when his parents adopted Zahara from Ethiopia — but according to a witness, the siblings had an instant connection. In 2005, Star Magazine allegedly spoke to an employee of the orphanage where Zahara lived prior to her adoption. The employee claimed: "When Maddox looked at the baby, he blew a kiss as if he was saying that was the girl who he wanted for his sister."
Over the years, the siblings have grown even closer. Maddox turned 21 in 2022 — but instead of partying, he spent his birthday weekend helping Zahara move to Atlanta for college. Later that year, the sibling duo stepped out for some quality time at a comedy show in Los Angeles. They've also enjoyed numerous shopping excursions, red carpet events, and traveling adventures — more evidence that they truly are a dynamic duo.
In 2023, Maddox attended a sorority event with Zahara at her school, Spelman College. Maddox and his brother Pax Jolie-Pitt were there to cheer Zaraha on as she joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. A source told Essence: "It meant so much to Angie and Zahara's siblings to be there to support her, and to congratulate all the other girls."
He visited the White House in 2023
Like his mother, Maddox Jolie-Pitt seems to have a keen interest in international affairs. It makes sense, after all, considering that the mini-celeb has traveled all over the world. In April 2023, Jolie-Pitt accompanied Angelina Jolie to a state dinner at the White House. The purpose of their visit was to welcome South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. It was undoubtedly a special moment for Jolie-Pitt, who lived in South Korea while attending college.
Jolie dazzled in a floor-length white dress and golden pearls, while Jolie-Pitt opted for a crisp black dinner jacket. The chic mother-son duo proudly locked arms as they strolled into the lavish event. The state dinner marked Jolie-Pitt's first public appearance since 2021, proving how much he'd grown up during those two years. Clearly, Jolie-Pitt is taking after his elegant, fashionable mom in so many ways.
According to a source, Jolie-Pitt was proud to attend the esteemed dinner. "Asia-America relations are important to Angelina's family," the source told People. "She and the children have had close ties to the region, including South Korea, for many years. Maddox studied at Yonsei University in Seoul. Angelina has visited South Korea many times for her humanitarian and refugee advocacy over the past two decades, and as an artist. Angelina and Maddox are honored to attend this State Dinner."
He sported a suave new look in 2023
Maddox Jolie-Pitt is a pro at wowing fans with his ever-changing hairstyles. As a toddler, he was proclaimed a hair icon when he started rocking a sleek faux-hawk. Jolie-Pitt's spiky locks eventually transformed into an all-out mohawk, complete with buzzed sides. At age 7, the mini-superstar flaunted his edgiest look yet: an aqua-blue mohawk. Given his penchant for hip hairstyles, it's no wonder fans have been following Jolie-Pitt's hair journey throughout the years.
As he got older, Jolie-Pitt became even more adventurous with his mane. During his teens, the mini-celeb wore his hair styled neatly on top and shaved on the sides. A few years later, he adopted his signature style, a fashionable ponytail with a tight undercut. Finally, in 2023, Jolie-Pitt stepped out with a dramatic new look.
Jolie-Pitt debuted his new, long locks during his visit to the White House in April 2023. His jet-black hair was cut into choppy layers that fell to his shoulders. The junior celeb styled the front of his hair into thick, side-swept bangs. The hairstyle created a perfect frame around Jolie-Pitt's face, which looked more chiseled and mature since we last saw him in 2021. The star also updated his eyeglasses, ditching his basic black frames for chic, aviator-style rims. Clearly, Jolie-Pitt has been taking style tips from his glamorous mom.