It seems like only yesterday when the Angelina Jolie-Brad Pitt twins Knox and Vivienne were born, in what came to their parents as a “shock.” They earned their first millions only weeks after birth and became the ultimate million-dollar babies. They are now teenagers and almost as tall as their mother, who raises them to explore the numerous opportunities, talents, and skills at their disposal.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt may no longer be a couple, but they are still the proud parents of their six children. Jolie became a mom for the first time in 2002 after adopting Maddox Chivan from an orphanage in Cambodia.
She then adopted her second baby Zahara Marley, born in Ethiopia only three years later. Soon after, Pitt adopted Jolie’s children and, as a couple, they had their first child Shiloh Nouvel in 2006. In 2007, they adopted a son, Pax Thien, from Vietnam.
In 2008, Jolie became pregnant with what they thought would be their fifth baby, but it turned out they were expecting twins. Despite Jolie’s desire to continue expanding her family with Pitt at the time, she admitted to being taken aback by the news because twins had been the last thing on their minds:
“So it did shock us, and we jumped to six [children] quickly. But we like a challenge.”
The pregnancy was as smooth as can be, for the most part, and Jolie tried taking things easy, admitting to leaving all the heavy lifting to her then-husband Pitt. They also focused on making their other kids feel included once their little siblings came along.
The big day finally arrived on July 12, 2008, and despite the biggest moment of their lives being only minutes away, Jolie and Pitt were relaxed, with their ob-gyn confirming that they were talking and laughing until the last minute.
The twins finally arrived via Cesarian section at the Foundation Lenval hospital in Nice, France. Knox Léon arrived first at 6:27 p.m., weighing just a little over five pounds, followed by his sister Vivienne Marcheline a minute later, weighing five pounds.
Their dad cut both their umbilical cords, and despite appearing calm and pleased with the arrival of his babies, Pitt was still unprepared to hear his newborns’ cries. “The emotion was very strong,” he confessed.
The twins’ arrival also ended a challenging few weeks for the couple after Jolie was hospitalized for regular check-ups. The actress had some rough moments, with complications from the pregnancy, including low blood pressure, gestational diabetes, swollen feet, and fainting fits. It was no easy feat for Jolie to be confined to a hospital bed, primarily since she loves traveling and hopping across different time zones.
News of the birth saw small crowds gather, hoping to capture a photo of the father or at least of any celebrity that would come visiting. And while none appeared, the mayor of Nice made a special delivery to the couple as he came bearing the twins’ birth certificates.
After his brief visit, he said that the father was having one of the happiest moments of his life, as would any father who had just had twins with a beautiful woman like Jolie.
Long before the twins arrived, there was plenty of speculation concerning which publication would feature their first photos. People Magazine won the inevitable bidding war, as Jolie and Pitt chose them in a joint deal with Hello! to publish the most expensive celebrity pictures ever sold.
Raising Vivienne and Knox — The Ultimate Million-Dollar Babies
Only weeks after their birth, the twins were branded the “ultimate million-dollar babies” after a source disclosed that People, in a co-joined deal with the British tabloid Hello!, had snatched up the deal to buy the twins’ photos, with Getty as the photographer and in-between.
People and the London-based tabloid reportedly coughed out $14 million for the first-ever baby photos of Knox and Vivienne, money that the Pitts confirmed would go to a foundation they started that focused on helping children worldwide.
It goes without saying that the babies were special from birth, and their names, which held the utmost sentimental value for both parents, suggested the same.
Vivienne, whose middle name is Marcheline, is named after her maternal grandmother — Jolie’s mother Marcheline Bertrand, who died from ovarian and breast cancer a year before the twins were born. On the other hand, Knox is named after Pitt’s paternal grandfather, Hal Knox Hillhouse, and Jolie’s great-grandfather Léon.
The choice of hospital was also a well-thought-out plan by the actress, even after her husband insisted they make life easier by delivering the twins in a hospital in America as they had done during Shiloh’s birth two years earlier.
Jolie was, however, not convinced, as she’d set her mind on having her babies in Paris. Why? Because she wanted her twins to be reincarnations of their Gallic grandmother.
Raising twins and four other babies below ten can be hard on any parent, but Jolie and Pitt took it in stride. Jolie told People they already had some household helpers, and Shiloh and Zahara helped pick out the twins’ clothes and change them. However, she also admitted:
“It is chaos, but we are managing it and having a wonderful time.”
Vivienne and Knox had quite a childhood and were destined for great things right from birth. Jolie opened up about her concern about their education, saying that it bothered her how little she learned in school.
In light of that, she chose to homeschool the twins partially. But homeschooling was not a choice born only out of Jolie’s mistrust of the education system. It also helped the kids stay schooled despite the family’s jet-setting lifestyle.
Jolie shared that she preferred her children to spend time exploring their own interests, and instead of sitting in a classroom, she would rather they go to a museum or learn other arts, like playing the guitar.
At only eight years, Vivienne was already learning Arabic, one of the most challenging languages to master, while Knox was learning sign language. With older siblings from different cultures and backgrounds, paired with Jolie’s love for travel and her appreciation and understanding of other cultures, it was inevitable that her youngest kids would be curious about exploring other languages.
Vivienne is also an animal lover. She had a pet bunny who passed away during the pandemic, after which Jolie says they adopted two disabled bunnies to help cope with the pain of the loss.
Jolie also recalled when chipmunks had moved into her Cambodian home, and when they got a call about removing them, Vivienne already had a solution for the problem. She told her mother they needed to cover the wires and let the chipmunks stay.
Knox may not have a special liking for animals like his sister, but he fills his free time with just as meaningful activities. When he is not learning sign language, he is catching up on his martial arts training. He also helps with chores and has been spotted accompanying Zahara while walking their dog.
Despite growing up in a wealthy home, Jolie strives to give her kids as normal an upbringing as she can. A fan once spotted her with her children selling organic dog treats at the dog park.
Like their mother, the twins have also traveled globally, with the most notable destinations being Cambodia, France, and England. Vivienne has also taken after her older sister Shiloh and loves wearing gender-neutral clothing. She has been snapped wearing tan linen two-piece suits and even a button-down shirt with jeans.
The twins share a lot in common, and besides a sweet tooth, they will sometimes step out in similar outfits, such as during their day out in May 2022. They wore grey pants and white sneakers, with Vivienne completing her look with a white crewneck sweater and Knox with a light gray T-shirt.
Jolie has ensured to nurture the twins’ talents. Besides hiring tutors for different subjects, including languages and instruments, they encourage them to be physically active and play soccer and skateboarding. They also both take self-defense classes.
Knox is also following in his mother’s footsteps. When he was nine, Jolie shared that he was already learning to fly. The actress, who also has a flying license told People:
“Knox is learning to fly. It makes me crazy happy to see him discover it. He still needs help with the pedals, but [it] won’t be long.”
They Made Their Mother Cry on Mother’s Day
Knox and Vivienne may only be teens, but they already know how to tug at their mother’s heartstrings. The two, alongside their siblings, have always made Mother’s Day special for Jolie, and she admitted that they always went all out to make the day memorable for her.
They are grown and have things to do, but seeing them set aside their own stuff to celebrate her is something she does not take for granted. Spending the day as a family is precious to the actress. She never has to do or plan anything, but the kids always ensure they combine their efforts to surprise her. And the highlight? They always somehow get her to shed tears of joy. She laughed:
“They always joke about how quickly it makes me cry. They will laugh at how many times I cry in the day or how quickly I cry…’Oh, there she goes!'”
Knox and Vivienne Today — A Peek into Their Future Career Plans
Knox and Vivienne have always made headlines since their birth in 2008, and now at 14, they are yet to slow down. Their recent appearances left tongues wagging.
After a photo of Pitt, Jolie, Shiloh, Vivienne, and Knox was posted by the Instagram account @stokfourme, fans noted how handsome Knox had grown, with one comment saying he would cause trouble with the ladies once he was all grown:
“Knox is going to be a lady killer. I can see it.”
After a recent appearance with his mom, where they went grocery shopping in Los Angeles, Knox wowed fans with how grown he looks, with comments alluding to the same. One Hilda Highlander was amazed at how tall Knox was. “He has gotten so tall and grown-up looking,” she wrote. Anne Blog seconded the sentiments, also noting how tall Knox had grown, while another fan, Traveller, commented:
“Knox is a handsome and nice young man. Time [flies]. It seems like yesterday that he was a baby.”
His killer looks aside; the genes in the Pitt-Jolie family are as strong as they come. Knox has taken after his dad, while Vivienne gets mistaken for her older sister, Shiloh.
The two have also followed in their parents’ footsteps and made their acting debut, with Knox voicing Ku Ku in “Kung Fu Panda 3” and Vivienne playing the younger version of Aurora in “Maleficent.”
However, despite the early start in acting, Jolie says they have no further interest in the art, a fact that the “Wanted” actress is only too happy with. She shared that while she was happy for her children to join her on set and have cameos, she and Pitt would not love them to pursue acting as a career:
“That’s not the goal for Brad and me at all. I think we would both prefer that they didn’t become actors.”
Jolie is happy that they are paving their paths and becoming whoever they want to be, but she is even more ecstatic that they don’t want a career in acting, despite her and Pitt making a fortune out of being actors. She said:
“None of my kids want to be actors, thank God.”
Now that acting is not on the list of possible career paths, Knox wants to become a tech engineer and develop software. His creativity has also seen some of his drawings converted to jewelry.
On the other hand, Vivienne wants to become a philanthropist and humanitarian. Jolie does all she can to involve the two in her humanitarian projects, and the teenagers have formed friendships with refugee children.
Her efforts have gotten to Vivienne, who wants to pursue humanitarian projects as a career. As for Knox, only time will tell whether he will be interested in taking the same path as his mother and sister and becoming a humanitarian.
