It’s a hard pill to swallow, but Brad Pitt and Maddox Jolie-Pitt’s “nonexistent” relationship doesn’t seem like it will be getting better anytime soon. Years after Brad, 56, and ex-wife Angelina Jolie, 45, got their divorce, the messy fallout of their separation has still left behind some major wounds for their eldest son to heal.
According to a source with Us Weekly, Brad and 18-year-old Maddox continue to have a strained relationship. “That relationship continues to be nonexistent,” a source told the outlet, adding that Brad’s relationship with his other son, 16-year-old Pax, also remains difficult. Apparently, the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star is not speaking to either child at the moment.
Rumors of a strained relationship between Brad and his children began in 2016 prior to Brad and Angelina’s divorce, when a heated incident on a plane became a major topic of media scrutiny. The Hollywood couple and their children were reportedly flying home from France on a private-chartered flight when an argument broke out between Brad and Angelina. A source told People at the time that Brad “was drunk, and there was an argument between him and Angelina,” which led to Maddox stepping in to break things up. According to the source, “there was a parent-child argument which was not handled in the right way and escalated more than it should have,” while others allege that the argument itself turned into a physical altercation.
The incident is what reportedly caused Angelina to file for divorce from Brad in 2016. In an interview with Vogue, the Maleficent: Mistress of Evil star said, “I separated for the well-being of my family.”
“It was the right decision. I continue to focus on their healing,” she added at the time. “Some have taken advantage of my silence, and the children see lies about themselves in the media, but I remind them that they know their own truth and their own minds.”
For now, that healing is still taking its time. Sources suggest that Brad has since been hoping for things to change with his children. A Us Weekly source told the outlet that while Maddox “hasn’t been receptive” to Brad’s attempts at fixing their relationship, the Ad Astra star was still remaining “hopeful”—especially in the case of his younger son, Pax.
“With Maddox overseas, Brad is also hopeful that Pax will also be interested in reconnecting without the influence of his older brother,” the source explained, referencing Maddox’s stay in Korea at the time. In 2019, Maddox began studying at biochemistry at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, but has since relocated to Los Angeles to stay with mom Angelina as his classes switched to online-learning for the rest of the semester.
It’s possible that things could start looking up for the father-son duo now that they’re back on the same soil. Another perspective from an unnamed source with New Idea actually suggests that could be happening sooner rather than later. The source insists that the pair have actually been talking recently—and they might even be working on a film version of Battling Boy, originally a sci-fi comic that Maddox used to love as a child.
“Brad bought the movie rights as a gift to Maddox when he was eight years old, but had to shelve the project for more money-making movies after they bought the Miraval estate,” the source said. “But now he’s commissioned a team of scriptwriters and is including Maddox in every step of the process. It’s brought them so much closer together and he’s found a creative partner in Maddox he used to have with Angelina.”
While we’re not counting it out, let’s just say we’d have to see it to believe it. One thing’s for sure: We’re just wishing the best for this family.