Speaking to Vogue ahead of World Refugee Day on June 20th, Angelina Jolie — actress, humanitarian, and mother of three children adopted overseas — talked openly about the joys and differences in the journey of her family. While opening up about the process of adopting Maddox, Pax and Zahara, she is asked about how her split from husband Brad Pitt has affected all of her children in recent years.
“I separated for the wellbeing of my family,” Angelina confessed in a rare statement about their split. “It was the right decision. I continue to focus on their healing. Some have taken advantage of my silence, and the children see lies about themselves in the media, but I remind them that they know their own truth and their own minds. In fact, they are six very brave, very strong young people.”
Beautiful sentiments. Angelina and Brad split in 2016 after 12-year relationship, after which Brad was investigated for alleged child abuse; he was cleared of all allegations. The exes went through a tumultuous divorce and custody battle over their six kids, which finally ended in December 2018. Brad and Angelina, who also share biological children Shiloh, Vivienne, and Knox, now have a cordial co-parenting relationship. And Brad’s been hard at work rebuilding his relationship with Maddox, 18, a college student at Yonsei University in South Korea.
Angelina also spoke to Vogue about the unique experience of raising a family of adopted and biological children together. “Each is a beautiful way of becoming family. What is important is to speak with openness about all of it and to share. ‘Adoption’ and ‘orphanage’ are positive words in our home. With my adopted children, I can’t speak of pregnancy, but I speak with much detail and love about the journey to find them and what it was like to look in their eyes for the first time.”