Angelina Jolie's Kids Helped Her Get Her 'Fighting Spirit' Back In The Years After Her Divorce

Angelina Jolie is getting candid about her relationship with her children post-divorce. The accomplished actor split from Brad Pitt in 2016, with the pair only finalizing their divorce almost a decade later. Jolie and Pitt share six children — Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh, Pax, Knox, and Vivienne — all of whom, according to Jolie, have no desire to enter the public eye like their parents. As such, Jolie tends to keep her personal affairs (like her and Pitt's messy divorce, which included domestic violence allegations against the latter) incredibly private.

The "Eternals" star highlighted how important her children have been in rebuilding her resolve after her separation from Pitt. "I think my fighting spirit is finally back," Jolie told Variety during a June 2026 interview. "I lost it for a bit. I got kind of taken down a little bit and it's coming back in large part thanks to my children." 

Jolie and Pitt's kids have changed plenty over the years, and they're now all adults (or at least close to it). The "Couture" actor went on to reveal that, as they grow up, her children have been pushing her to explore the world again. "They know me more than anybody, and they still like me, which says a lot," Jolie said. "I think they're very encouraging of me kind of getting back to aspects of myself that maybe I hadn't felt as free to do." While Angelina Jolie is a pro at dressing for revenge, the burgeoning director has shown that rediscovering who you are, as well as improving the lives of yourself and your family, is a better form of payback.

In the years before Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's separation, Jolie was embarking on a career shift. Rather than pursue projects in the acting world, the "Maleficent" star began to prioritize her humanitarian work and directorial ambitions. However, after the A-list couple's divorce, she had to return to the acting world more prominently. "Suddenly, the only way to be home more and for short periods of time, being away, or to make a good amount of money, was to go back to acting," Jolie told Variety. "I was only taking things that were short or close by, or I could take [my children]."

Parenting while being a working actor seems to be a role Jolie fits into perfectly. During a 2025 interview with W Magazine about her role in "Maria," Jolie explained that being a mother actually helps her come back into herself after immersing herself in a character too deeply. "I was very 'in it' when I was in it," Jolie said of her experience portraying opera singer Maria Callas. "But I'm different because I'm a mom, so I was able to step away from a heavy day at work and think about something else." 

In the same conversation, Jolie revealed that her son Maddox enjoys piloting planes. When asked whether she worries about his flights, the actor explained that she encourages her children to follow their passions fearlessly. "I worry more that people aren't finding themselves and something they love," Jolie said. "I think that's scarier. I'd rather they be out there trying and failing than not pushing and being passionate." While Angelina Jolie has had a stunning style transformation over the years, one thing has remained: Jolie puts her children's well-being and happiness first.