Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s Co-Parenting Through the Years

This famous couple was commonly known by the name ‘Brangelina.’ They both individually rose to fame with their acting careers and later found themselves in a tumultuous relationship that kept them in the tabloids. Angelina and Brad were together from 2005 to 2016 and share six children together. Along with their demanding careers, lengthy divorce, and avoiding the paparazzi, they have had to formulate a specific parenting plan to ensure they could juggle everything while also being the best parents possible. One of the most crucial things that these parents wanted was to keep their children safe from Hollywood. Let’s take a deeper look at their parenting.

The First

Angelina Jolie was going through a divorce from Billy Bob Thornton in 2002 when she decided to adopt her first son named Maddox. He was only 6 months old and was an orphan located in Cambodia.

Growing the Family

Jolie decided to extend her family in 2005 when she adopted a baby girl from Ethiopia. She named this baby girl Zahara. Once the tabloids got a hold of this news, they went crazy. However, nothing could prepare the public for what was about to happen next.

A Single Mom Finds A Partner

Zahara and Maddox were first raised by Angelina alone. However, Brad Pitt quickly became a hands-on father once the pair began their relationship. Brad had always wanted to be a father and now was his chance.

Time in Africa

The media became obsessed with the couple once they announced they were expecting a baby together. That’s when Brangelina decided to escape to Namibia before giving birth. This made it difficult for the paparazzi to stalk them.

Out of the Spotlight

Many famous parents retreat from the spotlight to ensure their children aren’t vulnerable to the paparazzi or in the public eye. It can be a dangerous game remaining in Hollywood with children. That’s why Brangelina chose to remain out of the spotlight.

Another Addition

The couple’s first biological child, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, was welcomed into the world in May 2006. Apparently, Angelina was given morphine while giving birth to her baby girl, which led to the mother experiencing fits of laughter. At least she wasn’t crying in pain!

Adoption

Once Shiloh was born, it didn’t take long for the mother to adopt another son named Pax Thien in 2007 who was born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in 2003. As they were unmarried, Brad could only adopt Pax in 2008.

Hyphenating

Once Brad and Angelina were together for a few years, they decided to make things more official with their children. That’s when Brad officially adopted Angelina’s kids and agreed to hyphenate their names to Jolie-Pitt.

The Beginning

Angelina has gone on to admit that she fell in love with Brad while filming for Mr. and Mrs. Smith. However, Brad was still married to Jennifer Aniston at this time. Yet, many believe this was when the couple’s relationship first formed.

Rumors

Both Angelina and Brad denied having an affair while he was still married to Jennifer. Angelina went on to state that her father cheated on her mother and she would never be the ‘other woman’ or be attracted to a cheating man.

Separating

Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt announced that they were getting divorced in 2005 after being married for five years. The media enjoyed painting Angelina Jolie as the ‘third person’ in the relationship who broke this marriage up, but that wasn’t true.

The Love Triangle

This love triangle between Angelina, Brad, and Jennifer drew a lot of scrutiny from the public. Their private lives rapidly became the tabloids’ favorite topic. It became common for people to choose between ‘Team Aniston’ and ‘Team Jolie.’

The Baby Bump

Angelina and Brad began a quiet relationship once Brad’s divorce from Jennifer was settled. They didn’t comment on their relationship until January 2006 when Angelina confirmed that she was pregnant with Brad’s child.

A Good Cause

Brangelina decided that they wanted to sell the pictures of their first biological child, Shiloh, to Getty Images while also controlling the distribution of these photographs. This allowed them to receive more than $7 million, which they donated to UNICEF.

Stopping the Paparazzi

The couple didn’t want to share their children’s photos in the first place. However, they understood that the paparazzi would eventually get ahold of these. Selling these images gave them control and money to donate to their humanitarian projects.

Tighter Security

A media frenzy was present when Angelina was in the hospital giving birth to Shiloh. Luckily, the couple tightened their security around this hospital, which prevented any reporters from coming near the building.

Wax Figures

The public became obsessed with the couple that even a wax figure (with Shiloh) was made by Madame Tussauds. The organization justified its actions by stating that Shiloh was already an iconic figure in pop culture despite being a few months old.

An Icon

It’s undeniable that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are iconic celebrities. However, it’s unclear if this is the same for their child. Many argued that this fame towards Shiloh was an invasion of the newborn baby’s privacy.

Massive Decisions

Although the family was facing tabloids, the couple had some plans to make about how they were going to protect their children. Once they returned from Namibia and adjusted to their new life as parents, the couple decided on something that greatly impacted their lives.

Adopting Pax

Less than one year after giving birth to Shiloh, Brangelina decided to adopt another child. This was an orphaned Vietnamese boy named Pax. However, this process was complicated as the couple was unmarried. Yet, Pax joined the family in 2007.

Their Family

The two parents were overjoyed with their four children and the happy family life they had created. However, this didn’t last long as immense pressure was placed on the family because of media scrutiny.

Like Brad

Jolie shared that Shiloh looked a lot like Brad. In a sense, she believed she was going to look like the outcast of the family because she was the only one with blue eyes and blonde hair. However, she wanted all of her kids to love and respect each other.

Tabloid Obsession

The media couldn’t get enough of Shiloh. However, these tabloids didn’t realize that Shiloh was a child of celebrities, and not a celebrity herself. Scrutiny only continued to grow as the child became older.

Like Her Parents

Although Angelina stated that her daughter was a copy of Brad, people disagreed. They believed that Shiloh looked a lot like Angelina when she was younger. Nonetheless, it’s clear that she had features from both of her parents.

Unkind

Shiloh was seen wearing clothes traditionally worn by boys as she grew older. This sparked much unkind press. The tabloids started publishing headlines admonishing Angelina while questioning her parenting choices and her role as a mother.

Twins

It wasn’t long before the couple announced that they were pregnant once again after adopting Pax. Tabloids and fans were shocked to find that Brangelina had welcomed twins into the world in July 2008 named Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Leon.

Defending Her Daughter

In a 2010 interview with Vanity Fair, Angelina shared that Shiloh enjoyed dressing like a boy and that she wanted to be a boy, so they cut her hair. This caused the media to question if Shiloh was transgender.

Her Choice

Fans and tabloids went insane once Angelina’s statements were released. Many individuals agreed that Shiloh was displaying signs of being transgender, but others argued that this was just a phase. Nonetheless, Angelina was always supportive of her daughter’s choices.

Questions

Even though much interest and opinions were surrounding Shiloh, many people pointed out that this wasn’t anyone’s business besides the family’s. There wasn’t any reason for Shiloh’s life to be placed in the spotlight, as this had nothing to do with the public.

Her Preferred Name

Brad appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2008. During this interview, he stated Shiloh’s preferred names. He said that she only wanted to be called Peter or John, which is what the family called her. Otherwise, she would correct them.

Chaz’s Support

Many high-profile members of the LGBTQ+ community and organizations actively supported Shiloh. This included Cher’s son, Chaz Bono, who stated that he would love to talk to the family one day to show them the resources they have.

Stressed Kids

The Jolie-Pitt children were placed under a massive amount of stress with the intense scrutiny running around. Rumors about Angelina and Brad getting a divorce also made matters worse. The news took a toll on the kids in 2016 when the divorce was confirmed.

The Separation

Angelina and Brad officially announced they were filing for divorce after 12 years together. This news broke on September 15^th, 2016 and a few days later, Angelina filed for a divorce and cited irreconcilable differences as the reason.

Divorcing Publicly

The couple’s divorce wasn’t simple, and having it highly publicized made the matter even worse. Many rumors began circulating about Brad having an affair, was abusive towards the children, and had a substance abuse issue. However, none have been confirmed.

Severely Affected

The news of their parent’s divorce wasn’t easy to digest, especially for Shiloh. This was understandable because she was known as a ‘daddy’s girl.’ Having this private news plastered across the world also didn’t make the matter any easier.

Sole Custody

Angelina filed for sole custody of her children while in the process of divorce. For Shiloh, this was hard to come to terms with, as her father was no longer part of her daily life. Public opinions continued to circulate.

Living Close

Although Brad was no longer part of his children’s daily lives, he wanted to remain close to them to ensure he remained a massive part of their lives. That’s why he bought a house close by to ensure he could spend time with his kids.

A Close Relationship

A source explained to Entertainment Tonight that Shiloh has a close relationship with both her parents. At the time, everyone was looking forward to her birthday. Brad was especially proud of how she always stayed true to herself.

An Encouraging Mother

Shiloh has always shown an interest in music and photography. As a mother, Angelina is known for being supportive in all of her children’s endeavors, which is why it makes sense that she gifted Shiloh a ukulele to encourage her love for music.

Quality Time

Although Angelina and Brad are some of the most famous people in the world, they made time for their children and ensure they are their priorities. The kids thoroughly enjoy having movie nights in their pajamas with Angelina while eating popcorn and plenty of snacks. Their unconditional love and support is evident in this family.