Angelina Jolie Had a Complicated Relationship With Brad Pitt's Parents, Including His Late Mom
Tensions were high between Brad and his kids, but what about Angelina and her former in-laws?
Published Aug. 6 2025, 4:05 p.m. ET
On August 6, 2025, the family of Brad Pitt made the heartbreaking announcement that Brad's mom, Jane Etta Pitt, had died at the age of 84. Her passing stirred up many questions about her relationship with Brad's kids, whom he shares with Angelina Jolie, his ex-wife. And of course, Angelina herself.
Brad and Angelina have been divorced since 2016, and it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing. So does Angelina have a close relationship with Brad's parents? Here's what we know about her relationship with his parents, and how Brad's parents interact with their grandkids.
What is Angelina Jolie's relationship like with Brad Pitt's parents?
When Angelina and Brad split in 2016, it seemed like they had the best of intentions to be amicable. Unfortunately, a number of incidents led to the former couple having a strained relationship, and Angelina was granted sole custody of their five children.
Brad was close with his father and mother, and when the family announced his mom's passing on Instagram in August 2025, they wrote that they weren't "ready" for her to go. Brad's parents, William and Jane, loved their three kids dearly, and Brad fondly remembers advice and moments they shared with him throughout his life (via People).
But despite the warm fuzzies between Brad and his parents, Angelina was estranged from them following their divorce. At one point, a source told Daily Mail that William and Jane, perhaps Jane especially, were proud of Angelina and spoke highly of her, and that they had great sadness centered around the split.
Did Brad's parents see their grandkids often?
That sadness, the source explained, was centered on the fact that they were no longer allowed to see their grandkids. The source told the outlet in 2024, "It is one thing for the kids to not see their father, but for Jane and Bill to not have any contact with their precious grandkids is sad. They are in their 80s and to think that they would never be able to spend time with the kids again is just unbelievable."
So it would seem that the estrangement went beyond Angelina and meant that they no longer connected with their grandkids, at Angelina's behest.
The tension between the kids and their father was high, which many speculate is the result of a domestic violence incident that occurred on an airplane in 2016, the same year Angelina filed for sole custody.
The tension was so high that the former couple's eldest child, Shiloh, petitioned in June 2024 after turning 18 to have the "Pitt" removed from her last name. Instead of going by Jolie-Pitt, like the rest of the siblings, Shiloh wanted to go simply by "Jolie."
While it may have been heartbreaking for Jane to be separated from her grandkids for the final years of her life, it's clear that Angelina felt she was doing the best she could in keeping the kids safe.
So far, Angelina has not made any public statements about Jane's passing or her former mother-in-law's relationship with her children.