Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s highly publicized divorce remains a bitter dispute, entangling their six children in an ongoing legal and emotional battle. While much about their former relationship remains private, recent revelations shed light on why their marriage ultimately collapsed.

A Nanny’s Perspective on Angelina’s Troubled Past

One of the most striking voices in this ongoing saga is Krisann Morel, Angelina Jolie’s childhood nanny. Morel, who played a significant role in Jolie’s early years, claims that the actress is portraying Pitt as a villain and using their children as leverage in their legal dispute.

Jolie’s bond with Morel was deep, as the nanny was not only a caregiver but also a close confidante to Angelina’s late mother, Marcheline Bertrand. Bertrand, who passed away from cancer in 2007, left a lasting impact on Jolie’s perception of relationships and family dynamics.

In 2010, Morel gained public attention when she was mentioned in Andrew Morton’s unauthorized biography of Jolie. Unlike many anonymous sources, Morel stepped forward with her firsthand account, painting a tragic picture of Jolie’s troubled childhood.

A Chaotic Upbringing and Family Struggles

The turmoil began in 1976 when Jolie’s parents, Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand, divorced. Voight’s affair with a young acting student devastated Bertrand, leaving her emotionally broken. Susan Margaret, the mother of one of Jolie’s childhood friends, recalled that Voight’s neglect and infidelity shattered the family, deeply affecting Jolie’s view of her father.

In an effort to provide a stable home, Bertrand sacrificed her own acting aspirations and moved to a series of rented apartments in New York City with her children, Jolie and her older brother, James Haven. However, emotional wounds ran deep, shaping Jolie’s formative years.

The Impact of an Absent Father

Angelina once acknowledged the perception of wealth in her family due to her father’s acting career, but Morel insists their struggles went far beyond finances. According to the nanny, Bertrand found it difficult to look at Jolie because she resembled her father so much. This emotional strain led Bertrand to isolate her young daughter for two years, entrusting her care to a rotating staff of nannies in a separate apartment within the same building.

Morel described young Jolie as a lonely and troubled child. She recounted how Bertrand, heartbroken over Voight’s infidelity, would sit with her, drinking coffee and crying over her failed marriage. The emotional turmoil of her mother’s suffering left an undeniable mark on Jolie’s perception of relationships.

Using Children as Weapons

Morel believes that Jolie and her brother were raised in an environment where their mother used them as emotional pawns in her battle against Voight. Bertrand instilled a deep resentment toward their father, a pattern Morel fears Jolie is now repeating with Pitt.

“Jon was portrayed as a villain, and Marcheline successfully turned the children against him,” Morel told the Daily Mail in 2016. “That pain never healed, and now history seems to be repeating itself.”

The former nanny expressed concern that Jolie is following in her mother’s footsteps, weaponizing her children against Pitt. “I want to tell her—don’t take Brad away from the kids. Don’t use them as leverage. That’s exactly what your mother did to your father, and it left you traumatized and lonely. Why would you want to do the same to your own children?”

The Ongoing Custody Battle

Since their 2016 split, Pitt and Jolie have been embroiled in a contentious custody battle over their six children: adopted sons Maddox and Pax, adopted daughter Zahara, and biological children Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne.

Initially, Jolie was granted sole custody, but in May 2021, Pitt won joint custody. However, this decision was later overturned when Judge John W. Ouderkirk was removed from the case due to undisclosed professional ties to Pitt’s legal team. Currently, Jolie has primary physical custody, while Pitt has limited custodial time with the children.

In April 2023, Jolie filed new court documents accusing Pitt of physical abuse, a claim Pitt has strongly denied. The battle has continued to escalate, further fracturing their family.

A Family Drifting Apart

Recent reports suggest that some of the couple’s children are distancing themselves from Pitt. Vivienne has reportedly dropped “Pitt” from her last name, with Shiloh allegedly planning to do the same. Additionally, Zahara, 19, has already adopted the name Zahara Jolie, while Maddox, 22, has also refrained from using Pitt’s last name in recent years.

For Pitt, these changes signify more than just name alterations—they represent a growing rift between him and his children. Sources close to the actor say he is devastated by the ongoing estrangement.

The situation took another turn when Pax resurfaced an old Instagram post from 2020, publicly calling out Pitt. In the post, he wrote, “You have made the lives of those closest to me a constant hell. You can tell the world whatever you want, but the truth will come out eventually.” He ended his message with a scathing “Happy Father’s Day, you f*****g awful human being.”

A Plea for Change

While Shiloh is the only child to have formally requested a name change, it’s evident that the children largely stand by their mother. Morel believes Jolie’s unresolved childhood trauma continues to shape her decisions as a mother.

“This is a mirror image of the past,” Morel observed. “I don’t know Brad Pitt personally, but he seems like a good man. Angie doesn’t know what a stable family looks like—Brad does. He came from one.”

She added, “These kids deserve better. Angie is repeating history, just as her mother did. They already lack stability, constantly moving from place to place. Now she’s threatening to take away what little they have left.”

As this bitter battle drags on, the future remains uncertain for Pitt, Jolie, and their fractured family. The question remains—will history repeat itself, or will someone break the cycle?