EXCLUSIVE: Brad Steps Up as Dad! Pitt 'Finding a Connection His Own Kids Denied Him' as He 'Quietly Supports' Late Pal's Children After Their Father Committed Suicide
Brad Pitt has been quietly supporting his dead pal's children after their father committed suicide.
Oct. 10 2025, Published 6:00 a.m. ET
Brad Pitt has been quietly supporting the kids left behind by his close friend Chris Cornell, who committed suicide in 2017, and RadarOnline.com can reveal they're helping to fill the void left by losing his own children – most of whom have cut him off in favor of their mom, Angelina Jolie.
Sources confided the Cornell kids – Christopher, 19, Toni, 21, and Lillian, 25 – are happy to have the 61-year-old F1 actor in their lane.
"Through them, Brad is finding the kind of connection his own kids have denied him," said an insider.
Brad Steps Up
Chris Cornell's children were seen with Brad Pitt at Universal Studios days after the Soundgarden frontman's death.
As readers know, Pitt has been estranged from his older kids, Maddox, 24, Pax, 21, Zahara, 20, and Shiloh, 19, for a while now.
They've sided with Jolie, who filed for divorce from Pitt in 2016 after what she described as a physical altercation aboard a private jet involving Maddox, then 15.
Pitt – who was reportedly drinking on the plane but has since quit booze and been sober ever since – still sees his 17-year-old twins, Vivienne and Knox, according to the terms of his custody agreement with the 50-year-old Maleficent actress.
But sources said that's likely to change when they reach 18.
Insiders said that Pitt became a surrogate father to Cornell's brood following the Soundgarden frontman's death, which was ruled a suicide.
Toni Cornell is receiving support from Pitt as she pursues a career as a singer.
"A huge part of Brad's sobriety journey over the last five or six years has been showing up for people, supporting them, and helping them step into the spotlight themselves," revealed an insider.
"You see that in action with Chris' kids, especially Toni, where Brad is actively opening doors for her as she becomes a full-blown singer.
"The other factor here is the brotherly relationship Brad had with Chris, and there's still this gaping hole in his life from Chris' passing."
Brad's Struggles With His Own Children
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Angelina Jolie's split from Brad Pitt in 2016 left their older children siding with her after the private jet altercation involving Maddox.
Just days after Cornell's tragic death, Brad was spotted taking the singer's two youngest kids to Universal Studios theme park in L.A. for a day of fun and respite.
"Brad's relationship with his and Angelina's kids is fraught," says the source.
"That doesn't change his fatherly instincts one bit, and he's managed to channel it in a direction outside his own family, which speaks to Brad's inherent generosity. When it comes to Chris' kids, he takes his obligation to them incredibly seriously."
