Brad Pitt's son Knox showed off a bold new look in Los Angeles on Monday, hours after the actor revealed he battled suicidal thoughts as a result of his estrangement from his children.
Knox, 18, who dropped Pitt's last name in June, sported a red hairdo worn in spikes, with the shaved sides dyed bleach blond.
Knox was seen jogging with friends after his latest Muay Thai training session, hours after Pitt made the revelation in an interview with Esquire.
Knox, his twin Vivienne and older sister Shiloh, 19, were born during their mother Angelina Jolie's relationship with Pitt, which ended in divorce in 2016. Jolie and Pitt were together for about a decade before marrying in 2014 and filing for divorce two years later. Jolie cited irreconcilable differences and later accused Pitt of abusing her and their children, which he has denied.
Their divorce battle was finalized in late 2024, and since then several of their children have dropped Pitt's surname amid the ongoing estrangement.
Knox's diploma and graduation
In June, Knox removed Pitt's last name from his high school diploma when he graduated from Fusion Academy in Los Angeles, according to Page Six. His name was listed simply as Knox Jolie on the certificate. He was cheered on at the ceremony by his mother as well as his brother Pax and siblings Vivienne and Zahara.
Pitt's Esquire interview
Pitt, 62, addressed his mental health in a rare interview, explaining that while he would never act on suicidal feelings, "oppressive" pain once left him feeling like he had no way out.
He told Esquire UK he was never suicidal in any way and that it was not his nature, adding that if he has any afflictions it's probably being a "congenital optimist," which has helped him many times but has also gotten him into trouble, including walking foolishly head-on into a metaphorical Mack truck because of his optimism. He quoted his friend, director David Fincher, as telling him that he sees the glass as half full, "but it's half full of urine."
Pitt said he had never been suicidal except for one period, during which he could not see a way out. He said the pain was so oppressive that he could feel the cold steel of a bullet in his head, and that it felt like relief, adding that he then understood suicide as simply a search for relief from pain. He said he also believes people have incredible survival instincts, and that those instincts kicked in for him, before adding, "This s**t ain't easy... And you're talking to a guy who won the lottery." When asked by the interviewer, Pitt confirmed he was referring to "family stuff."
Other children dropping the Pitt surname
Shiloh now goes by Shiloh Nouvel Jolie after filing paperwork to legally remove her estranged father's surname when she turned 18 in the summer of 2024. In February, Maddox dropped Pitt from his professional credits, appearing as Maddox Jolie in production notes for the film Couture and at screenings of Maria. In May 2024, Vivienne was credited as Vivienne Jolie, not Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, on the playbill for the Broadway musical The Outsiders.
Pitt on family and estrangement
Pitt has said he believes his relationship with two of his children is "unfixable." Speaking at the F1 premiere in Mexico City, he told ET that no matter the mistake, you learn from it and move on, and that it leads to the next success.
He said that when you get to his age, you realize how important it is to surround yourself with the people you love and who love you back, adding: "Friends, family, and that's it. From there, we get to go make things. It's a pretty simple, I think, equation."
