EXCLUSIVE: Brad Pitt's Eldest Son Maddox 'Fueling Dad's Estrangement From Siblings'
Brad Pitt's son Maddox is fueling estrangement from siblings, deepening family tensions.
March 28 2026, Published 7:00 a.m. ET
Distraught dad Brad Pitt is frustrated over his ongoing estrangement from the six kids he shares with ex-wife Angelina Jolie – and the F1 speed demon is blaming eldest son Maddox Jolie-Pitt for fanning the flames of contempt among the siblings, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
"Like many fathers and sons, they are very much at odds right now, and it's been that way for many years. That's something Brad desperately hopes to change," an insider shared.
"He's heartbroken that his relationship with Maddox is still so abysmal. It's actually worse than that – it's nonexistent."
Plane Fight Fallout Still Lingers
Angelina Jolie's 2016 split from Brad Pitt followed a plane incident involving Maddox, though officials cleared the actor.
As RadarOnline.com readers know, Brad, 62, and Angie, 50, split in September 2016 after a private plane squabble in which she claimed the actor was abusive to her and their kids.
The alleged incident was investigated by officials, who cleared Brad of wrongdoing.
"It's widely known that the final fight, the one on the airplane, heavily involved Maddox," the insider pointed out.
According to insiders, Maddox, 24, added fuel to the fire by recently dropping his adoptive father's surname – but keeping his mother's – in his assistant director credit for her new movie Couture.
Brad Sees Writing On Wall
An insider said Brad Pitt was 'not at all shocked' Maddox dropped his surname after other kids did the same.
"Brad is not at all shocked that he's dropped his name. When his other kids did it, the writing was on the wall," the insider noted.
In addition to Maddox, Brad and Angie adopted Pax, 22, and Zahara, 21, and are also parents to Shiloh, 19, and 17-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.
The Mr. & Mrs. Smith costars began dating in 2005 and married in 2014. Their divorce settlement battle dragged out for eight years before finally concluding in December 2024.
Maddox Holds Power Over Siblings
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Maddox Jolie-Pitt is seen as the 'leader of the pack,' with siblings likely to follow his stance on Brad Pitt.
"Maddox has always been the leader of the pack. The kids all look up to him and respect him. If Maddox were to forgive Brad, they would likely all follow suit," the insider confided.
"And the reverse holds true. As long as he's cutting Brad out, odds are the rest of them will do the same. Brad has many reasons to want to heal this chasm between him and Maddox. But Maddox won't take his calls so if he wants to see him, he's going to have to ambush him."
