What You Never Knew About Shiloh Jolie-Pitt

Shiloh Jolie-Pitt is the fourth child and second daughter of ex-spouses Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Shiloh joined the Jolie-Pitt family in 2006 when she was born in Namibia; her older siblings are Maddox, Pax, and Zahara Jolie-Pitt, and her younger siblings are twins Knox and Vivienne Jolie-Pitt. Shiloh and her sister Zahara are close in age and reportedly share a close bond as well (per The Sun).

As the first biological child of Jolie and Pitt, Shiloh's birth attracted an enormous amount of media attention, which is one of the reasons her parents chose Namibia for the site of her birth (per ABC News). Over the years, both Jolie and Pitt have been selective about what they have and haven't shared about Shiloh and all of her siblings, but every so often a detail or two about their daughter slips out.

Here's a look at what we've come to learn about Shiloh through the years so far. 

In 2008, Brad Pitt offered up a story about Shiloh Jolie-Pitt: the then-two-and-a-half-year-old preferred to go by the name John. Instead of denying that choice, Pitt and Angelina Jolie were happy to accept it. Pitt explained to People that the decision was all hers, and that the toddler was very serious about it. He said, "She only wants to be called John. John or Peter. So it's a 'Peter Pan' thing. So we've got to call her John. 'Shi, do you want ...' — 'John. I'm John.'"

Jolie also spoke about the change to the Daily Mail at the time, telling the publication that it wasn't a big deal and wasn't really something she wanted the world at large to spend too much time thinking about. She explained that it was easy to go with Shiloh's preference, saying, "She likes to dress like a boy and wants her hair cut like a boy and she wanted to be called John for a while. Some kids wear capes and want to be Superman and she wants to be like her brothers. It's who she is."

The family didn't make too much of a big deal about Shiloh being called John, a move that likely helped the youngster feel supported and loved. These days, it seems she is comfortable going by Shiloh again.

Four years after Shiloh Jolie-Pitt was born in Namibia, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt found a way for their daughter to give back to the place that provided them with such a lovely birthing experience. The pair founded the Shiloh Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which works closely with the N/a'an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary in Namibia. As described on the sanctuary's website, the family's contribution provides serious care for many of the animals that call the sanctuary home. The website explains that the addition includes "holding pens, trucks, crates and veterinary equipment," and supplies the sanctuary with a full-time veterinarian. It also adds that all this helps give the animals the best possible chance, noting, "Animals that come to the facility will be cared for until they are fit and ready to be returned to their places of origin."

Staff at the sanctuary were thrilled by the offering, and, in turn, decided to name a sweet little cheetah after Shiloh. While Shiloh was too young at the time to meet the cub who bears her name, Jolie told the foundation that Shiloh loved watching videos of the cheetahs: "She loves that little cheetah Shiloh has a tough and independent nature, and cannot wait to visit Naankuse and meet [the cheetahs] herself." The visit finally took place in 2017, and human Shiloh got to meet cheetah Shiloh (via People).

Shiloh Jolie-Pitt is only a teenager, but in her time on this planet, she has already made a big impact in a lot of ways. For starters, in 2006, Shiloh became the youngest person ever to be immortalized at the famous wax museum, Madame Tussaud's. Shiloh was captured at only 8 weeks old for the New York branch of the museum, and her infant form was paired with the wax figures of both her parents (via CBS News).

The museum's general manager Janine DiGioacchino explained that Shiloh's appeal to their visitors was nearly limitless, which made her an obvious must-have addition to the museum's collection. Per CBS News, DiGioacchino said, "Even though she's just a few months old, Shiloh is already an iconic figure in world popular culture." The museum even decided to extend the Jolie-Pitt's family inclination toward humanitarian aid by offering to donate $1 from every photo taken with the wax forms of Shiloh and her parents to UNICEF.

In 2020, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt made the news again after Angelina Jolie revealed that two of her daughters, Shiloh and her sister Zahara Jolie-Pitt, had both had surgery within a short span of time. While Jolie was not willing to reveal the details of their surgeries, she praised both of her daughters in a moving essay for Time about health issues and concerns that children around the world face.

Jolie wrote, "I have spent the last two months in and out of surgeries with my eldest daughter, and days ago watched her younger sister go under the knife for a hip surgery," before adding that both girls had given their permission for Jolie to share their stories in the piece. Jolie continued by tying her daughters' experiences to those of children around the world, noting that both Shiloh and Zahara had since gained a greater understanding of what it means to face a medical challenge and to heal from it.

Sources who spotted the family after Shiloh's surgery told People that Shiloh appeared to be doing well on crutches, and that her younger sister Vivienne was also on hand to help Shiloh as needed. This echoed another part of Jolie's essay, in which she wrote that her daughters all took turns paying attention to what the nurses were doing, and then helped one another as they healed (via Time).