Inside Angelina Jolie’s Parenting World: How Her Kids Are Thriving After the Divorce

After eight years of legal battles, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s divorce is finally in the books, signed off on December 30, 2024. The end of “Brangelina”—a Hollywood power couple born on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith in 2003 and married in 2014—closes a chapter that began unraveling with Jolie’s 2016 filing. But for Jolie, the real story isn’t the split; it’s the life she’s forged with her six children—Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, Zahara, 20, Shiloh, 19, and 17-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox. As of March 18, 2025, this brood is her anchor, their paths diverging yet tethered to a mother intent on privacy, healing, and a new normal.

The settlement’s details are locked tight, but Jolie’s lawyer, James Simon, told People, “She and the children left all of the properties they had shared with Mr. Pitt, and since that time she has focused on finding peace and healing for their family.” Custody remains a murky topic—past fights saw Pitt briefly win joint custody in 2021, only for Jolie to overturn it—but her frequent sightings with the kids suggest she’s their primary guardian, with Pitt likely relegated to visits. The fallout’s been messy: allegations of a 2016 plane incident where Jolie claimed Pitt choked and hit the kids (denied by Pitt, no charges filed) linger, and some, like Shiloh and Zahara, have ditched his last name. Yet Jolie’s gaze is forward, not back.

Each child’s journey reflects her hands-off yet supportive style. Maddox, now 24, channels his Cambodian roots into the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, tackling environmental and health issues. He’s dabbled in film, too, crewing on Jolie’s First They Killed My Father (2017) and Maria (2024). Pax, 22, is on the mend from a harrowing July 2024 e-bike crash that landed him in ICU with “complex trauma,” per People. Before that, he lent his voice to Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) and worked on Maria, keeping a low profile since. Zahara, 20, shines at Spelman College, pledging Alpha Kappa Alpha and stepping out with Jolie at the 2025 Golden Globes, a poised college junior finding her footing.

Shiloh, 19, dances her way through life—literally. Spotted with a fresh pixie cut en route to class, she legally became Shiloh Jolie in 2024, a quiet rebellion against Pitt’s shadow. Vivienne, 17, leans into the spotlight, assisting Jolie on The Outsiders, the 2024 Tony-winning Broadway musical. She’s the more visible twin, glowing at the Tonys beside her mom. Knox, her 17-year-old counterpart, prefers the sidelines—boxing, casual grocery runs with Jolie, a rare Governors Awards cameo in 2024. “They’re especially shy, very private people,” Jolie told E! Online. She guards that privacy fiercely, even as they dip into her world.

Jolie’s parenting is a blend of structure and freedom. She’s homeschooled them with a global twist—languages, math, soccer, skateboarding—per SheKnows. “My children have saved me—and taught me to be in this world differently,” she told Vogue in 2023, a lifeline echoed in her hands-on moments: hosting friends during L.A. fires, shopping with the twins, guiding Vivienne backstage. Her work doubles as a family affair—Maddox and Pax on Maria, Vivienne on The Outsiders—merging her craft with their growth.

Co-parenting with Pitt, though, is a tightrope. The 2016 allegations and strained ties—Us Weekly notes Pitt’s “limited contact”—cast a long shadow. Shiloh’s name change and Zahara’s sorority intro as “Zahara Marley Jolie” signal distance. Yet Jolie’s mantra is healing. “She is relieved this one part is over,” a source told Us Weekly post-settlement. At the Golden Globes, she brought Zahara, a red-carpet testament to moving forward.

Life with her kids isn’t just survival—it’s Jolie’s rebirth. From Maddox’s activism to Knox’s quiet punches, they’re a mosaic of her influence: private yet bold, scattered yet close. Pitt may be history, but this family’s future is hers to shape—one dance step, film frame, and grocery run at a time.