The union of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt captured the world’s attention, igniting widespread media coverage. Their relationship had its ups and downs, but nonetheless viral, with their images gracing the pages of nearly every magazine.
Amidst rumors of secret romances and allegations of unfaithfulness, this celebrated duo navigated through the storms, remaining together for a dozen years.In this period, they devoted themselves to parenting their six children, both biological and adopted.
Before her encounter with Brad Pitt on the “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” set in 2004, Angelina Jolie had already welcomed two sons, Maddox and Pax, into her family through adoption. At the time, Brad Pitt was in a marriage with Jennifer Aniston.
“Because of the film, we ended up being brought together to do all these crazy things, and I think we found this strange friendship and partnership that kind of just suddenly happened. I think a few months in I realized, ‘God, I can’t wait to get to work.’ … Anything we had to do with each other, we just found a lot of joy in it together and a lot of real teamwork. We just became kind of a pair,” the Eternals star told People in 2006.
During that period, speculation was rampant about a budding romance between Pitt and Jolie, yet both parties remained silent on the matter. “We spent a lot of time contemplating and thinking and talking about what we both wanted in life and realized that we wanted very, very similar things,” Jolie added.
It wasn’t until 2005, when Angelina decided to adopt Zahara Marley from Ethiopia, that the narrative began to shift. Brad Pitt joined her in this commitment by co-adopting Zahara the following year.
Their relationship was officially brought to light in 2006, with Angelina revealing her pregnancy with Brad’s child. Seeking to escape the inevitable media storm, the couple chose Namibia for the birth of their child.
The anticipation surrounding the arrival of Brad and Angelina’s child, soon known affectionately as “Brangelina’s” baby, captured global attention. Photo agencies valued the first images of their newborn at a staggering $1 million, prompting an intense pursuit by paparazzi for any glimpse of the family.
“Not since Jesus has a baby been so eagerly anticipated,” wrote New York Magazine. On May 27, 2006, the couple welcomed their daughter, Shiloh Nouvel, into the world at The Cottage Medi-Clinic in Swakopmund, a serene coastal town in Namibia.
“Angelina underwent a scheduled cesarean due to breech presentation,” Dr. Rothbart told PEOPLE at the time. “The baby was a healthy 7 lbs. Brad was with Angelina in the operating room the entire time and cut the umbilical cord of his daughter. The surgery and birth went flawlessly. ”
Brad and Angelina chose to share the first photographs of their newborn daughter for a considerable sum, directing all the earnings to UNICEF.
In their announcement, they highlighted the critical issue of infant mortality in developing countries: ”While we celebrate the joy of the birth of our daughter, we recognize that 2 million babies born every year in the developing world die on the first day of their lives. These children can be saved, but only if governments around the world make it a priority.”
The birth of their daughter thrust the family into an intense media spotlight, making privacy a challenge. Nonetheless, Brad and Angelina have been steadfast in their efforts to shield their children from public scrutiny.
Shiloh, naturally, attracted significant attention as a consequence of her celebrity lineage.
As of May this year, Shiloh celebrated her 16th birthday, rapidly approaching the cusp of adulthood. Reports suggest she maintains a close bond with her siblings, including her older brothers and sister and the younger twins, Knox and Vivienne, who are now 14.
The Jolie-Pitt family maintains a low profile online, which means there’s much about them that remains private. However, one detail that has emerged concerns the couple’s eldest biological child, who has preferred not to use the name Shiloh from a very young age.
Instead, she has chosen to be known as John Jolie-Pitt, a decision she made independently. Brad Pitt shared in a 2008 conversation with Oprah Winfrey how she expressed a wish to be called John, a character in the Peter Pan novel.
“She only wants to be called John. John or Peter. So it’s a Peter Pan thing. So we’ve got to call her John,” Pitt explained. “So we’ve got to call her John. ‘Shi, do you want …’ – ‘John. I’m John.’ And then I’ll say, ‘John, would you like some orange juice?’ And she goes, ‘No!’ So, you know, it’s just that kind of stuff that’s cute to parents, and it’s probably really obnoxious to other people.”
Following their separation in 2019, both parents have shown unwavering support for John’s choice, including her preference to dress similarly to her brothers.
“She wants to be a boy, so we had to cut her hair. She likes to wear boys’ everything. She thinks she’s one of the brothers,” Jolie told Vanity Fair.
The actress was supportive of the decision to go by a different name, despite her personal connection to the name Shiloh.
“It was a name my parents almost named their first child — there was a miscarriage: Shiloh Baptist. Because my father had been shooting in Georgia and that was the most southern name [my parents] could come up with,” shared the Maleficent performer. “I’ve always been fond of the name. It was even an alias I used in hotels: Shiloh Baptist. It was the name I used for hotel room bookings when Brad would call.”
Despite the divorce, Shiloh has kept up strong bonds with both Brad and Angelina. Moreover, reports suggest that Brad Pitt is an exceptionally proud dad.
“Brad’s children are his top priority. He shares with his friends how much he learns about life from them,” revealed an insider to Entertainment Tonight, “the dynamics between him and Angie have improved significantly since they ironed out their custody arrangements. They’ve made tremendous progress.”
Many observe a striking resemblance between Shiloh and Brad, noting that she also seems to have inherited Angelina’s trademark lips.
“Brad is incredibly proud of Shiloh and the person she’s growing into. He admires her authenticity and how she looks out for her siblings,” shared a source with ET. By March 2020, Angelina Jolie disclosed that her daughter had undergone surgery, sharing her thoughts in a piece for Time magazine to mark International Women’s Day.
“I have spent the last two months in and out of surgeries with my eldest daughter [Zahara], and days ago watched her younger sister [Shiloh] go under the knife for hip surgery. So my wish on this day is that we value girls. Care for them. And know that the stronger they grow, the healthier they will be and the more they will give back to their family and community.”
n 2021, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt captured attention once more, this time at the U.K. premiere of Marvel’s “Eternals”.
People magazine reported that she donned the same Dior dress in black and white that her mother, Angelina, wore in 2019 to a “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” press conference.
However, this wasn’t the first occasion Shiloh had opted for one of her mother’s outfits. In July 2021, she appeared at the U.S. premiere of “Eternals”, also wearing Angelina’s Gabriela Hearst dress.
The approach Brad and Angelina have taken in this scenario offers a valuable lesson in parenting: they’ve supported Shiloh in wearing what she feels comfortable in and choosing her hairstyle. This stance ensures Shiloh faces no obligation to meet any specific standard, allowing her the freedom to explore her identity at her own pace—a journey every young individual undergoes.