Brad Pitt reportedly isn’t giving up on repairing his fractured relationships with his six children, even after insiders claim another painful obstacle has made reaching them more difficult.
Sources close to the actor say Pitt recently learned that his estranged children have changed their contact information, while several have also taken steps to remove his surname from their names.
Still, the Oscar winner reportedly sees a possible opening as his ex-wife, Angelina Jolie, prepares to spend more time outside the United States now that all six children are adults.
Brad Pitt Plans To Do ‘Everything In His Power’ To Reconnect
Pitt reportedly believes Angelina Jolie’s changing lifestyle could create an opportunity to rebuild relationships that have deteriorated dramatically since the former couple separated in 2016.
“Angie now intends to live out of the States more and Brad’s hearing it doesn’t appear any of them plan to relocate with their mother,” an insider told the Daily Mail.
The source acknowledged that reconciliation may appear unlikely but claimed Pitt intends to “give it his best shot.”
That effort could involve people who knew Pitt and Jolie when they were still together.
According to the insider, some mutual friends didn’t choose sides during the breakup, and Pitt is reportedly relying on a couple of them to help him navigate a possible reunion.
However, there is another hurdle. “In the past he’s tried to connect with the kids even though he felt sure Angie would shut any communication down,” the source claimed. “What he’s found out is they’ve all changed their contact info. That’s not going to stop him though.”
The insider added that Pitt would do “everything in his power” to reunite with them, claiming that their rejection of his surname had already left him devastated. “That was a huge slap in the face, but he saw it coming,” the source said.
Brad Pitt’s Children Have Increasingly Distanced Themselves From His Name
The surname issue has become one of the most visible signs of the family’s estrangement.
Pitt and Jolie share Maddox, 25, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20, and 18-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.
Shiloh legally became Shiloh Nouvel Jolie after turning 18 in 2024. Maddox followed this year. As PEOPLE reported, a judge approved his request in September to legally remove Pitt from his surname.
The court also approved Zahara’s petition in September. As The Blast previously reported, Pitt’s camp responded to that development by alleging a broader pattern of parental alienation, while a source aligned with Jolie disputed that characterization.
Vivienne has also filed to legally remove Pitt. The Blast reported that she took the required step of publishing notice of her requested name change in a newspaper.
Knox, meanwhile, used “Knox Jolie” on his high school diploma, according to Page Six.
The children’s decisions followed years of tension after Pitt and Jolie’s 2016 breakup, which followed an alleged confrontation aboard a private plane. Jolie accused Pitt of abusive behavior during the flight. Pitt denied the abuse allegations, and no criminal charges ultimately resulted from the federal investigation.
New Phone Number Claim Echoes An Old Brad Pitt Custody Battle
The claim that Pitt’s children have changed their contact information carries added significance because phone access became an issue during his lengthy custody dispute with Angelina Jolie years earlier.
In 2018, The Blast obtained court documents showing that a judge ordered Jolie to provide Pitt with the children’s cellphone numbers.
At the time, the court also directed that Jolie could not monitor the children’s private text messages with their father.
Those orders were issued while most of the children were minors. All six are adults today, making their current decisions about communication their own.
Another insider stressed that Pitt reportedly understands he cannot force the issue.
“He hasn’t given up but he’s not going to contact them immediately,” the source told the Daily Mail. “He hopes to be able to rebuild and there is an understanding that there is a time and a place.”
There is also at least one indication that connections with Pitt’s wider family have not disappeared completely.
Page Six reported in June that Pax attended a family gathering with members of Pitt’s extended family, including the actor’s sister Julie Pitt Neal, despite reportedly having little direct relationship with his father.
More From The Blast
Angelina Jolie’s ‘Nomadic’ Plans Could Change The Family Dynamic
The development Brad Pitt’s camp is reportedly watching most closely comes from Jolie herself.
Now that Knox and Vivienne are 18, the actress has openly discussed spending considerably less time in the United States.
Speaking to L’Officiel in September, Jolie said she expected to be “out of the States more” while expanding Atelier Jolie, returning to humanitarian work and spending more time in Cambodia.
“I’d like to be a bit nomadic for a while,” she said.
Jolie nevertheless explained that she wants to maintain a home base where the family’s photographs and other personal belongings can remain.
Her plans are not being presented publicly as a move away from her children. In fact, Jolie said her adult children support her desire to travel more after years focused on motherhood.
Ines De Ramon Is Reportedly Behind Pitt’s Reconciliation Push
Brad Pitt is also reportedly receiving support from his longtime girlfriend, Ines de Ramon.
“Ines is totally behind Brad’s plan,” an insider told the Daily Mail, adding that the couple believes Pitt has been publicly “maligned and humiliated.”
The source stressed that reconciliation would not mean the children suddenly moving into Pitt and de Ramon’s life. Instead, Pitt reportedly wants them to understand that he considers himself their father regardless of the estrangement and would be available if they ever needed him.
De Ramon has already developed close ties with Pitt’s wider family.
As The Blast reported in June, an insider claimed she communicates independently with Pitt’s siblings, nieces and nephews and has become a natural part of their family gatherings.
Pitt himself offered a rare glimpse into the emotional impact of his private life during an August interview with Esquire.
He described experiencing one period of overwhelming emotional pain in which he had suicidal thoughts, though he stressed that he had no intention of acting on them.
When the interviewer asked whether the painful period was connected to his children, Pitt declined to elaborate.
“Family stuff,” he said. “We could leave it at that.”
Now, sources insist his approach is centered on patience rather than an immediate confrontation.
One insider said Pitt would “absolutely welcome” relationships with all six children but understands rebuilding them cannot simply be about defeating Jolie in their long-running conflict.
“It has to be about the kids and not Angie,” the source said.
Whether any of Pitt’s adult children ultimately choose to reopen communication remains entirely up to them. But according to those around the actor, another painful setback has not ended his hope that at least one of those doors could eventually open again.
