‘Desperate' Brad Pitt sees glimmer of hope as one kid keeps his last name; begs for ‘one final shot' amid Angelina Jolie feud

Indian Express

12-07-2025

After the F1 high and laying low for a bit post his packed schedule, Brad Pitt is now trying to reconnect with his twins, who, as insiders put it, 'won't call him back.' A Daily Mail report says Pitt, still gutted after his and Angelina Jolie's kids dropped his last name during the legal blow-up, is hoping his lookalike twins, Knox and Vivienne, might spend time with him. People close to him admit he knows it's a long shot, but he's still hoping, even for a one-off meet. This comes just days after Pitt filed fresh paperwork asking for access to Angelina's private messages with Stoli exec Alexey Oliynik.
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According to an insider who spoke to the Mail, the actor is 'desperate' to make amends and has reached out, hoping to reconnect ahead of the twins' birthday on Saturday, July 12. But things have been rough between him and the kids for years now. His relationship with most of them went cold after the high-profile divorce from the Maleficent actor in 2016, and only got worse after Jolie's physical abuse allegations. In 2024, Vivienne dropped 'Pitt' from her last name in a Playbill for The Outsiders, and Shiloh followed suit. That move left Pitt devastated, he 'got the message loud and clear,' insiders said. Still, there's one sliver of hope: Knox has kept the surname 'Jolie-Pitt.' That, sources say, gives Brad something to hold on to. Despite all the legal blows, the silence, and even the time Maddox was in a bike accident and Pitt tried reaching out but heard nothing back, he still considers all six of his kids, Maddox (23), Pax (21), Zahara (20), Shiloh (19), and the twins (16), a huge part of his life. A source said he 'wants them all back in the fold' and hasn't given up.
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A second source claimed, 'He will always believe and always hope there is a chance to be back with all of them, and he doesn't want to think otherwise. He doesn't want to give up, he's not that kind of guy, he's not that kind of father. He is a proud father, and he would be happy to have them see that eventually.'
Over the years, Brad Pitt has reportedly tried plenty of times to reconnect, but now feels the next move has to come from the kids. As for Angelina Jolie, he seems to have accepted that they'll always be at odds. Earlier, a few insiders claimed Jolie has influence over the kids, one of the big reasons they've stayed away from their dad. The Mr and Mrs Smit co-stars have been embroiled in an ugly War of the Roses-style split, still battling it out in court over Château Miraval, the French winery they bought while married. When it comes to the kids, Pitt keeps things private. But close friends say the whole thing weighs on him. 'So far, there's been no word back from the twins or their reps,' the insider said. 'Now that he and Angie are at odds, and have been for years, he's accepted that that's just how it's going to be with her. But when it comes to the kids, he'll always want to be an anchor in their lives.'
'The divorce may be over,' a source close to him said, 'but Brad still believes there's no real winner here. His biggest regret is not being able to fix things with his children.'