Little-Known Details About The Jolie-Pitt Kids

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Celebrities and their families are no strangers to the public eye, but one family in particular has captured the world’s attention and piqued the curiosity of the public at large. Way back in 2004, actress Angelina Jolie and actor Brad Pitt made headlines sizzle while they were filming the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith, sparking rumors of a burgeoning love affair between the two. Although they were frequently featured in paparazzi photos together, the pair didn’t officially announce their relationship until 2006, while announcing Angelina’s pregnancy with the pair’s first biological child.

Part of the reason their family has captured the attention of the people is because of the unique and diverse nature of the pairs’ six children. Three of the children were adopted from across the globe and three of them were the pairs’ biological children. Often dubbed a “Rainbow Family”, the Jolie-Pitt brood is a multiracial and captivating example of growing up in the spotlight. These kids have simultaneously grown up in the public eye, while also being fiercely protected by their famous parents.

Despite the fact that they have been featured on the celebrity news circuit for many years, including the well-publicized breakdown of their parent’s marriage, there are still many things you might not know about these famous siblings.

They Were all Born Outside of the U.S.

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There are six children in the Jolie-Pitt clan, and not one among them was actually born in the United States. In fact, all of the Jolie-Pitt children were born all over the world. The first adoptive child of Angelina Jolie, Maddox, was born in Cambodia. Pax was born in Vietnam and adopted from there by Jolie shortly afterward. Zahara was born in Ethiopia, and then subsequently adopted by Jolie and brought home to the United States. The first biological child of the pair, Shiloh, was born in Namibia, in Southern Africa. The youngest Jolie-Pitt children, twins Knox and Vivienne, were born in France.

Their Birth Photos Raised a LOT of Money for Charity

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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s relationship was one that was highly publicized, and they were often referred to as a “supercouple”. For this reason, there was a major interest in nabbing the first photo of the pairs’ biological children. Upon their first daughter Shiloh’s birth in Swakopmund, Namibia, the first photos were rumored to have fetched approximately $9.5 million dollars. This amount was then donated to UNICEF, a charity spearheaded by the United Nations. The first images of the twins Knox and Vivienne were sold to for People and Hello! for $14 million dollars. This was a record-setting amount, making it the largest sale of any celebrity photo. The funds were donated once again to charity, this time to the Jolie-Pitt Foundation

Eldest Son Maddox Already has a Budding Show Business Career

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The eldest of the Jolie-Pitt brood is Maddox, the first child adopted by Angelina Jolie before she and Brad Pitt were even an item. Originally born in Cambodia, Maddox has grown up in the spotlight with his famous parents. When Maddox was only eleven years old, he appeared in the film World War Z, a movie in which his father had a starring role. In World War Z, Maddox played a small cameo role as a zombie. In 2015, Angelina Jolie directed and starred in the film By the Sea, and Maddox, had a behind the scenes role as a production assistant. In 2017, Maddox had an important behind the scenes role in the film First They Killed My Father, acting as an Executive Producer.

However He’s Not the Only One in the Jolie-Pitt Clan in Show Biz

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Maddox is not the only Jolie-Pitt child with show business credits to his name. In fact, many of the other Jolie-Pitt kids have had at least small roles in the film industry. For example, Pax had a small role in his mother Angelina Jolie’s film Maleficent, along with his sisters Zahara and Vivienne. In Maleficent, Vivienne played the role of Aurora, as it was reported that other children were afraid of Angelina’s appearance in costume. Zahara has a small voice credit for Kung Fu Panda 3 from when she was just 13-years-old, and Shiloh also voiced a character in the same film. As for behind the scenes, Pax also worked on First They Killed My Father as a set photographer.

Shiloh was the Youngest Person to be Given the Wax Treatment at Madame Tussaud’s

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As a celebrity, getting the wax figure treatment from the famed Madame Tussaud’s wax museum is kind of a big deal. At the tender age of just eight weeks old, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt became the youngest person to be immortalized in wax at Madame Tussaud’s wax museum. Her figure can be seen in a woven basket alongside her parents. Due to the fanfare surrounding her birth and the heavy public interest surrounding the firstborn biological child of what have been described as two of the most beautiful people on Earth, Madame Tussaud’s saw Shiloh as being an iconic celebrity in her own right, even at the young age of two months old.

Maddox And Zahara Were Initially Adopted By Angelina Jolie Alone

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Angelina was married to actor and musician Billy Bob Thornton when she adopted Maddox Chivan (born Rath Vibol). Although they announced the adoption as a couple, Maddox was actually adopted by Angelina Jolie alone as a single parent. The marriage between Angelina and Billy Bob ended shortly after the adoption was completed. Angelina adopted Zahara in 2005 when the child was just six months old, and again, did so as a single parent applicant. Angelina first met Zahara at the Wide Horizons For Children orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and applied to adopt her. Brad Pitt formally adopted the two children in 2006, and their surnames were then changed to Jolie-Pitt.

Their Adoption Stories Came With Their Fair Share Of Drama

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The adoption agency that facilitated Maddox’s adoption ended up making headlines when it was shut down permanently. The charges against the agency and the owner Lynn Devin, stated that children in Cambodia were being bought from their parents for amounts as little as one hundred dollars. Devin was hit with federal charges, and plead guilty to allegations that some children were said to be orphans when they were not. When Zahara was adopted, the Jolie-Pitts found themselves again in the headlines for adoption related drama. Although Angelina Jolie was under the impression Zahara was an orphan, her birth mother came forward and stated that she put Zahara up for adoption as she could not afford to care for her. Zahara’s birth mother eventually gave her blessing for the adoption.

Some Of The Adopted Children Went Through Name Changes

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Most children are born with their given names and not much changes after that. However it can be a little bit different with adoption. For example, Maddox has had his name changed a few times. Born Rath Vibol, his name was changed to Maddox Chivan Thornton Jolie. After his formal adoption by Brad Pitt in 2006, his name was changed again, this time to Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt. Similarily, Zahara had a few name changes in her short life. Given the birth name Yemsrach by her birth mother, her name was changed to Tena Adam by the Orphanage where she met her soon to be mother. Upon adoption, her name was changed to Zahara Marley Jolie, then Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt. Pax was adopted in Vietnam and was born with the name Pham Quang Sang. The Jolie-Pitt’s changed his name to Pax Thien upon his adoption, a name that’s reported to mean “Peaceful Sky”.

All the Jolie Pitt Kids Are Jet Setters, And Have Never Attended School

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The Jolie-Pitt children have lived and visited all over the globe, and receive their education from tutors and private educators rather than attending a traditional school environment. They are reported to be learning the regular things such as reading and arithmetic, however they are also being encouraged to learn other things such as languages and musical instruments. Their mother, Angelina, has stated that she hopes that her children learn from their many cultural experiences and by perusing their own interests and talents. This is certainly not the usual for most kids in America, however there is not much that is typical in this famous family’s life.

They Call Many Places Home

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While most of us have a single residence to call home, the Jolie-Pitt brood is a little different. These kids were not just born all over the globe, they also continue to call many places home. The Jolie-Pitt family has multiple dwellings all over the world to call their own. Their homes include two houses in California, two in Louisiana, and an apartment in New York City. And that’s just their North American residences. They also have their famous property in the South of France, Chateau Miraval, as well as a villa in the Spanish island of Majorca. That is a lot of places to call home, even for such a large globe-trotting family.

They Are Multi-Lingual

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The Jolie-Pitt kids are encouraged to have a well rounded worldly education, which includes learning other languages. Angelina has gone on record as saying that the children were learning different languages, stating: “I asked them what languages they wanted to learn and Shi is learning Khmai, which is the Cambodian language, Pax is focusing on Vietnamese, Mad has taken to German and Russian, Z is speaking French, Vivienne really wanted to learn Arabic, and Knox is learning sign language.” It’s not surprising that Angelina, with her humanitarian work taking her all over the world would consider learning languages a priority for her children.

They Are Rumored To Have A Famous Godmother

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Actress Mindy Cohn, best known for her role as Natalie Green in the 1980’s sitcom Facts of Life has been reported to be the Godmother to the twins, Knox and Vivienne Jolie-Pitt. The actress has been reported as being close friends with Angelina Jolie, and rumor has it that she was even gifted a large diamond ring for her role in their children’s life as Godmother. However, Cohn has consistently refused to validate or even make any comment at all regarding such claims. This is probably for the best, as the media certainly has a field day with any news relating to the Jolie-Pitt clan.

They Don’t Have Many Rules

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The Jolie-Pitt brood have been often covered in the tabloids for their rumored lack of rules and structure. They have been reported as being rebellious, and for the most part not given many rules to adhere to. Former house staff for the Jolie-Pitts have talked about the kids’ lack of structure when it comes to nutrition, bedtimes and supervision. It has been rumored that Angelina Jolie was the free-spirited parent that did not want to impose rules on her kids, however Brad Pitt was said to have been much more into the idea of a structured family. It has been said that this was one of the hot button issues that factored into the pair’s divorce.

However They Are Not Permitted To Drink

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Despite a reported lack of rules for the kids, one thing has been made abundantly clear by their mother- drinking is strictly not permitted. Potentially due to the rumored alcohol dependency issues that may have led to the famous couple’s divorce, the kids are under strict orders by their mother not to imbibe. It has even been reported that Angelina has a strict rule that alcohol is not permitted in her home, and that her kids are not allowed to have sleepovers at other people’s homes as she fears that they may end up having the opportunity to drink.

They Are Shielded From Witnessing Upset Adults

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You often hear about unusual rules when it comes to celebrity children, but this one is a dozy. Adults around the children are not supposed to show emotional turmoil to the kids, including crying. This also goes for Angelina Jolie herself. Due to her own tumultuous upbringing where she often worried about her own mother, she has imposed a rule that her kids are not to witness adults upset or crying. Many parents are OK with showing their children real life emotions, however Angelina feels that it is very important to shield her children from this to protect them from worry.

Co-Parented Under A Court-Ordered Custody Arrangement

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After an approximate two year battle between Angelina Jolioe and Brad Pitt to sort out custody of the six children after their well-publicized split, agreements were finally settled on in late 2018. Although the agreement was filed confidentially, it has been reported that the agreement is a joint physical and legal custody arrangement between the two parties. It has been rumored that the custody arrangement may change over time, with Brad Pitt gaining more custody over time. Due to the mysterious circumstances surrounding the split, their somewhat acrimonious divorce was mostly fought surrounding custody of the children. However this arrangement does not apply to all children. Due to his age, Maddox is exempt from the ruling, being at an age that is seen as legally capable of making his own decisions regarding where he spends his time.

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