Throughout Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s 8-year-long divorce proceedings, most eyes have remained glued to the A-listers. Of course, their six kids — especially those who have publicly disowned their dad — get a lot of attention as well. And every once in a while, a bodyguard with some supposed dirt steps into the spotlight.
But there are a lot of people impacted by ongoing legal battles that are often forgotten in divorces in Hollywood and beyond. Namely: The grandparents. Where do they fit into all of this?
Pitt’s parents — William and Jane Pitt — are reportedly distraught over what the divorce has supposedly meant for their relationship with their grandkids. A source told DailyMail.com that the couple “has not been able to see their beloved grandkids” — Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne — since around the time Jolie filed for divorce in 2016. The Eternals star claimed in her filings that Pitt had been abusive to her and the kids.
“Prior to the separation, [William and Jane] were a part of the kids’ lives and they all spent a lot of time together,” the source said. “It is just heartbreaking to see that this is no longer the case.”
“It is one thing for the kids to not see their father, but for [his parents] to not have any contact with their precious grandkids is sad,” the source continued. “They are in their 80s and to think that they would never be able to spend time with the kids again is just unbelievable.”
When it comes to the former It Couple, Jolie has sole custody of their children and Pitt has visitation rights — though it seems his older kids (if not all) have cut ties. But, perhaps unfortunately, grandparent visitation rights aren’t a major topic of discussion in divorce proceedings. And so insiders say William and Jane “fear” they may “never be able” to spend time with the kids again.
What about the kids’ maternal grandparents, you ask? Angelina Jolie’s mom Marcheline Bertrand passed away in 2007, and the Maleficent star has a notoriously rocky relationship with her dad, Jon Voight. It’s unclear what kind of relationship Voight has with his grandkids (if any), but he did extend a rare and notable olive branch to Jolie and Vivienne last June.
“It’s amazing,” Voight told TMZ after his daughter and granddaughter won the 2024 Tony Award for Best Musical for their work producing The Outsiders. “[I’m] very proud of Vivienne and very proud of Angie because she really tries to encourage each of the kids to be what they want to be.”
These Hollywood grandparents aren’t baking cookies or playing Bingo — they’re in their prime of life.
