Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were a high-profile Hollywood couple for years.
Their jet-setting lifestyle, international adoptions, and seemingly never-ending love
for one another fascinated the world.
But after two movies, six kids, and 12 years together, the pair pulled the plug on their
union in 2016 and sent shock waves through Tinseltown.
Since then, this famous family's structure has been completely uprooted.
As the exes very publicly battled over custody concerns, both Jolie and Pitt have discussed
their quest to find solid footing for their brood.
Let's take a closer look at the changing lives of the Pitt-Jolie clan.
Single status
Angelina Jolie has revealed that she has been struggling to embrace a new normal as a single
mom of six, telling People Magazine, "I have had my ups and downs.
I guess I am a little bit stronger...
We all have our difficult times, but as a mother you also have a responsibility first
and foremost towards the kids.
They are going through their formative years and everything else comes second to that."
However, in addition to worrying about the wellbeing of her children, Jolie has also
had to come to grips with the impact her new solo status has had on herself, telling The
Telegraph, "It's not easy.
I am a little shy this time, because I am not as strong inside as I have been in the
past."
Much like Jolie, Pitt says he puts their children first but seems to have a sunnier disposition
about the prospect of single life, telling the press, "There's still much beauty in the
world and a lot of love.
And a lot of love to be given.
It's alright.
It's just life."
Following footsteps
Despite the devastating divorce of their parents, the Jolie Pitt children still seem to be flourishing.
Eldest child Maddox, for example, has been following in his mother's footsteps by committing
his time and effort to executive producing his mother's biopic on Cambodian genocide
called First They Killed My Father.
Jolie revealed that his participation in the film meant spending more time in his birth
nation than usual, but it offered Maddox a chance to learn more about what his biological
parents might've gone through.
"Being with his fellow countrymen every day was extraordinary.
And Pax also worked on the film and did the still photography."
And that's just the start.
Jolie said she hopes Zahara, who was adopted from Ethiopia, and Pax, who was adopted from
Vietnam, will eventually connect with their homelands as well.
Meanwhile, the actress also opened the Shiloh Wildlife Sanctuary in Namibia this summer,
to commemorate the location where her first biological child was born and protect animals
who've been victims of poaching and abuse.
Jolie's efforts to incorporate her kids into her global activism are deliberate, as she
told Elle France.
"I try to lead by example, being conscious of others and being responsible.
And to help them have a broader view of the world.
But really the only way I know to raise them is to really listen.
It's perhaps the most important thing any parent can do."
Getting healthy
Unfortunately, Jolie is no stranger to health problems.
In 2013, she underwent a preventive double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery after
discovering she has the breast-cancer linked BRCA1 gene.
In 2015, she underwent surgery to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.
And in 2017, the star revealed that she has two new health issues on her plate—hypertension
and Bell's palsy, a condition in which one side of the face droops due to nerve damage.
She told Vanity Fair, "Sometimes women in families put themselves last until it manifests
itself in their own health...
I can't tell if it's menopause or if it's just been the year I've had.
I actually feel more of a woman because I feel like I'm being smart about my choices,
and I'm putting my family first, and I'm in charge of my life and my health.
I think that's what makes a woman complete."
Pitt, too, has been focusing on improving his health.
The actor decided to quit drinking and smoking marijuana.
Pitt told GQ, "I enjoy wine very, very much, but I just ran it to the ground.
I had to step away for a minute.
And truthfully I could drink a Russian under the table with his own vodka.
I was a professional.
I was good…
Don't want to live that way anymore."
After quitting booze and grass, Pitt said he was forced to look at his life a little differently.
He described it as a period of renovation.
He said, "You strip down to the foundation and break out the mortar.
For me this period has really been about looking at my weaknesses and failures and owning my
side of the street."
Keeping the family afloat
Although they're no longer a romantic couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are still connected
by their children, so they've got to put aside their differences to save face for the sake
of the little ones from time to time.
"And my focus is finding this way through."
As Pitt told reporters, the two have been working together behind the scenes to "keep
the ship afloat" and "figure out the configuration of [their] family."
Jolie echoed that sentiment in her own way, saying:
"We will be stronger when come out of this because that's what we are determined to do
as a family…
We will always be a family.
Always."
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