Maddox Jolie-Pitt turns 17 today and a lot has changed — and not just the fact that he went from a little kid holding his mom’s hand to a tall teen with a hint of a mustache. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt‘s adopted son has grown way up, and can now legally see his parents’ R-rated movies without a guardian. Exciting, right? But some might say that his family’s dynamic has transformed even more over the years than he has. Think about it! When Maddox was adopted in 2002 as a wee seven-month-old from Cambodia, his mom was still married to Billy Bob Thornton. She was the only one to sign the adoption papers, though, and ended up raising Maddox as a single mom when she and Billy separated a few months later — well, until Brad showed up, that is!
By the time he entered the picture, Angie had also added Zahara to her brood. Brad adopted her and Maddox as his own in 2006 right after their last names were legally changed to Jolie-Pitt. Iconic! The couple then adopted Pax and had three biological children together — Knox, Vivienne and Shiloh. It wasn’t until 2014 that Angelina married Brad wearing a darling dress decorated by her kiddos, but she filed for their divorce in 2017. Even so, despite all of the adding and subtracting that has been going on in Maddox’s family over the years, one thing has remained constant for the teen. He’s still close to his momma! In fact, he was interviewed for the first time ever last year and raved about Angelina and the movie they’d worked on together, First They Killed My Father. “She’s a wonder,” he said. Aw! And as if that wasn’t adorable enough, he also went on about how she was “fun, funny and easy to work with.”
They’ve clearly got a great bond that isn’t going anywhere in Maddox’s 17th year — even if the rumors are true that Angelina might be adopting again! Check out some of their sweet mother/son photos in the gallery above. Just prepare to have your heart melted — you’ve been warned!