It’s not been a great time for Brad Pitt recently. The actor has faced several knockbacks from his kids, after his eldest daughter Zahara decided to drop the “Pitt” from her surname, and an old Father’s Day message from his adopted son Pax posted resurfaced, featuring some rather less than complimentary things about his old man.
Reports say relations are fraught between Brad and the six kids he shares with ex-wife Angelina Jolie – Maddox, 22, Pax, 19, Zahara, 18, Shiloh, 17, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 15. But a source tells heat that Brad, 59, is hoping daughter Shiloh might play referee to help at least keep the twins on side.
After Zahara’s telling decision to introduce herself as just Zahara Jolie at a recent sorority event at Spelman College in Atlanta, a source tells us, “This wasn’t much of a shock for Brad, but it still cut deep, as it proves once again that all the spiteful things Angie’s said about him have really resonated with his kids.”
Brad and Angelina’s 12-year relationship – and five-year marriage – ended under acrimonious circumstances back in 2016. Since Angelina filed for divorce, the pair have been embroiled in an ongoing estate and custody battle, and Brad has also faced allegations of abuse by Angelina, which, although investigated at the time, saw no charges brought against him. He strongly denied the allegations.
In the past few years, Brad has had visitation rights for their three children under the age of 18 – Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne – while Angelina has maintained full custody. However, Brad has not been photographed in public with any of his children since 2016, and it’s safe to assume his relationships with all of them have been fractured.
“He’s had no relationship with Maddox for years, then Pax followed suit, and now Zahara’s totally ghosted him and won’t even take his calls,” our source reveals.
The optics certainly aren’t great for the star. And it doesn’t help that an old Father’s Day message Pax shared in 2020 has resurfaced, in which he calls his dad a “world class a-hole”. Now 19, a 16- year-old Pax wrote, “You time and time again prove yourself to be a terrible and despicable person.”
Our insider says, “It doesn’t help Brad’s state of mind to have those comments from Pax being spread around again – especially around the holidays, when he’s got little chance of having his kids with him.”
So, we’re told Brad is pinning all his hopes on Shiloh in a last-ditch attempt to repair his relationship with his youngest three children. We’re told, “Brad and Shiloh are still very close – they talk all the time. He doesn’t get to see her as much as he’d like, but at least he still does see her, which is more than he can say for the older kids.
“That’s why he’s resorted to asking Shiloh for help. He’s desperate to fix this. He always said he’d never put her in the middle, but at this point, he feels Angelina has left him no choice.”
Despite his relationship with Angelina being past the point of no return, our source says Brad is optimistic that things could change for the better with his kids.
“It’s a miracle Shiloh and the twins still talk to him, and he doesn’t take that for granted. But that doesn’t take away the pain he’s in over being shut out by his older kids,” says our source.
“When he adopted them, it was for life. He still loves them and desperately wants to reconnect. He’s been respecting their wishes and giving them space, but it’s done nothing to heal things and he’s convinced he needs to take action.”