Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt: how many kids do they have, custody issues explained, and what is FBI lawsuit?

The Hollywood stars were together for 12 years and have six children together
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Details of a heated row between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt on a private plane in 2016 which resulted in the end of their marriage have been revealed in an FBI report.

Pitt was investigated following the incident after being accused of being abusive towards one of the couple’s children.

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Jolie claimed that he “grabbed her by the head, shaking her” during the incident.

He was also alleged to have caused $25,000 worth of damage to the plane.

Details from the FBI report have emerged after it was obtained by NBC News in America.

Here is all you need to know:

How many kids do Jolie and Pitt have?

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie began dating in 2005, following his split from fellow Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston.

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The couple have six children together - three adopted and three biological.

They are:

  • Maddox - adopted by Jolie in 2002 and Pitt in 2006
  • Pax - adopted by Jolie in 2007 and Pitt in 2008
  • Zahara - adopted by Jolie in 2005 and Pitt in 2006
  • Shiloh - born in 2006
  • Knox and Vivienne - twins born in 2008

Pitt and Jolie married in 2014 but split in 2016 following an incident on a private plane.

The couple’s divorce was finalised in 2019.

They have been embroiled in a bitter custody battle following the split.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in 2015. (Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Audi)Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in 2015. (Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Audi)
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in 2015. (Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Audi)

What is happening with custody battle?

Jolie and Pitt split in 2016, with Jolie filling for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences” following an incident on a private plane in which Pitt was allegedly abusive towards one of their children.

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A custody battle over the kids began, with Jolie being granted full custody in 2018.

Pitt was granted “custodial time” with the children in that same ruling.

In May 2021, Pitt was given joint custody but that decision was thrown out later that year after it was found that Judge John W Ouderkirk did not sufficiently disclose business relationships with Pitt’s lawyers.

The 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled: “Judge Ouderkirk’s ethical breach, considered together with the information disclosed concerning his recent professional relationships with Pitt’s counsel, might cause an objective person, aware of all the facts, reasonably to entertain a doubt as to the judge’s ability to be impartial. Disqualification is required.”

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The decision means the custody fight over the couple’s five children, which was nearing an end, could be starting over.

Speaking in 2021, Jolie claimed she feared for the safety of her children.

Jolie, 46, made the allegation in an interview with The Guardian promoting her new book, Know Your Rights And Claim Them, which aims to equip children with the knowledge to challenge injustices.

Asked whether she feared for the safety of her own children, she replied: “Yes, for my family. My whole family.”

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Jolie described the divorce and custody proceedings as “horrific”.

What is the FBI lawsuit?

In September 2016, Jolie and Pitt spent two weeks in France with their children but when they were returning to America via a private plane an incident occured.

Pitt was accused of being abusive towards one of the children.

The FBI and the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services opened investigations into the incident.

No charges were filed against Pitt.

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A report from the FBI into the incident was shared with both Pitt and Jolie in 2017.

The report was recently the subject of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by a “Jane Doe”.

She was seeking to have the report made public, an attorney for Jane Doe would not comment on the identity of her client.

However NBC reports that the lawyer noted this client was “seeking such records for years but has been stonewalled and has had to resort to court action to receive needed records.”

NBC News have obtained a copy of the report this week.

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In the report, Angelina Jolie is referred to as “AJ” and all other names are redacted.

NBC News says that the FBI report paints Jolie’s viewpoint of what she described as a tension-filled, hourslong flight in which she said Pitt had been drinking.

It details an incident in which she “could tell that (redacted) was mad” - in an apparent reference to Pitt.

After moving to the back of the plane, in hopes of getting out of earshot of the children, Pitt allegedly “grabbed her by the head, shaking her, followed by grabbing her at the shoulders and shaking her”.

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In the report, it says that he was also said to have got annoyed by someone on the plane and had to be held back by Jolie from attacking them.

Pitt was also alleged to have poured wine on a plane seat, causing $25,000 worth of damage, and that he also “poured beer on her and the blanket she was under” with her children.

Representatives for Jolie did not respond to requests for comment. Representatives for Pitt declined to comment. The FBI also has declined to discuss the case.

However, NBC News reports that sources close to the “ongoing legal battle between the two cast aspersions on Jolie for allegedly seeking to have this document publicized via FOIPA”.

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