Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's Son Maddox Has 'Taken It Upon Himself' to Be His Mother's 'Protector' as Divorce Battles Rages On

Brad Pitt became estranged from several of his children after an alleged domestic abuse incident that occurred while the Jolie-Pitt family was on an international flight from Paris to Los Angeles back in 2016.

His ex-wife Angelina Jolie — who shares Maddox , 22, Pax , 20, Zahara , 19, Shiloh , 18, and twins Knox and Vivienne , 15, with the actor — alleged in legal documents that her former husband grabbed and shook her during the trip and loudly insisted she was "f------ up this family."

Other documents claimed the Troy star allegedly "choked" one child and hit another in the face at that time.

According to a source, "Maddox was very affected by that incident, and he’s taken it upon himself to be Angelina’s protector."

The source further noted that the eldest Jolie-Pitt child's negative opinions of his adoptive father has subsequently "rubbed off on" the younger children over the years.

A separate insider hinted that Shiloh's recent decision to legally drop Pitt from her surname is "connected" to her father's rumored "abuse history."

"She [used to be] very close with Brad and his family, but that relationship [changed] in recent years," the insider explained.

A third source noted that twins Vivienne and Knox began to feeling the same way as their older sister — Vivienne also already chose to skip using her dad's last name on the playbill for The Outsiders , which she worked on with her mother.

"They used to have Facetime calls when they were apart and he was much more involved in their lives," the source revealed of the twins. "The dynamic has shifted."

As OK! previously reported, Jolie and Pitt called it quits in 2016 after the alleged flight incident. However, a source denied the Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood actor had been abusive to his ex-wife or his children .

"There was a parent-child argument which was not handled in the right way and escalated more than it should have," they shared. "He is emphatic that it did not reach the level of physical abuse, that no one was physically harmed. He did not hit his child in the face in any way. He did not do that; he is emphatic about that."

Pitt also reportedly has hopes to one say " try to rebuild relationships with all his children."

"He acknowledged his drinking was a problem , and he’s truly sorry for his part in the split," a source told a news outlet late last year. "He loves Maddox dearly, and even though they’re still estranged, Brad will always hold out hope for reconciliation."

The sources spoke with Us Weekly about Maddox.