Angelina Jolie Reveals Oldest Son Maddox Became a Trained Pilot Just Like Her in Rare Update

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s eldest son, Maddox Jolie-Pitt, is taking to the skies — just like his mom.

“I am a pilot,” the Maria actress, 49, said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, December 5. “And my son Maddox is training to be a pilot too. He, actually, he is a pilot now.”

Angelina previously revealed to People in 2017 that Maddox, 23, had followed in her footsteps and started learning to fly.

“He’s quite capable and always takes me by surprise,” she told the outlet. “He’s been practicing flying, then they called me the other day and said, ‘So Mad can go solo,’ and I nearly dropped the phone!”

The Maleficent star also once revealed that it was Maddox who inspired her to become a pilot in the first place.

“Every time Mad sees a plane, he’s amazed,” she told People in 2004 when she first started flying. “If I could actually fly a plane by the time he’s 4, I’ll be like Superman to him.”

Angelina proved that she was up to the challenge and became a licensed pilot in December 2004, when Maddox was still 3 years old. She purchased a Cirrus SR22-G2 single-engine plane in early 2005 and paid homage to her plane-loving son by including the letters “MX” in the aircraft’s tail number.

In addition to Maddox, Angelina shares kids Pax, 21, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 16, with ex-husband Brad, 60. The mom of six opened up about her children’s wishes for staying out of the public eye during her chat with Jimmy, 50.

“My kids, I think some of them off-camera, behind the scenes, but they really, really want to be – especially Shiloh – they want to be private,” Angie said. “Just private, not photographed, not on the thing. I think, her most of all would like privacy.”

While the talk show host pointed out that it “must get so tricky” for the kids because of the fame of their parents and those around them, Angelina explained, “But it wasn’t their choice.”

She continued, “So some people are more comfortable with public, some people are more comfortable on talk shows. And some people are not.”

Angelina and Brad’s kids have often made headlines in recent years for their relationships with their father, many of which became strained when the Mr. and Mrs. Smith costars’ divorce began in 2016. For example, a source exclusively told In Touch in July that Maddox “still wants nothing to do with his father.”

Brad, however, “will never give up hope” that he can reconcile with his children, a source exclusively told In Touch on Wednesday, December 4.

“Since the split eight years ago, his relationship with his kids has never recovered,” the insider said. “It’s been a very hard road, but Brad is not giving up on his fight — he wants to save his family.”

The source added, “He’s continued to reach out to the children to let them know he loves them. He can’t stop hoping this could be the year they come around.”