It feels like only yesterday that a toddler with a bleached-blonde mohawk was stealing the spotlight on international red carpets. Honestly, that image of a tiny Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt is burned into the collective memory of anyone who followed celebrity culture in the early 2000s. But time is a weird thing. We still picture him as that little kid, yet the reality is much different.
So, how old is Maddox today? As of early 2026, Maddox is 24 years old.
He hit that milestone on August 5, 2025. Born in 2001 in Battambang, Cambodia, he has officially spent more than half a decade as a legal adult. He’s no longer just the "eldest Jolie-Pitt kid" trailing behind his famous mother; he’s a man with a degree, a pilot’s license, and a very specific, private way of navigating the world.
The Milestone Years: From Cambodia to Seoul
Maddox's journey is kinda fascinating when you look at the timeline. He was born Rath Vibol and spent his first seven months in a Cambodian orphanage. Angelina Jolie met him while filming Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and famously said she felt an instant connection. She adopted him in 2002.
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If you’re doing the math, that means he’s been in the public eye for nearly a quarter-century.
By the time he turned 18 in 2019, he made a massive move that surprised a lot of people. Instead of staying in the Hollywood bubble, he headed to Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. He chose to study biochemistry. Think about that for a second. While most celebrity kids are looking for influencer deals or acting gigs, the eldest Jolie-Pitt was in a lab in Seoul, likely struggling with organic chemistry like any other college kid.
Life at 24: What is he doing now?
Now that he’s 24, Maddox has shifted back toward the family business, but on his own terms. He isn't chasing leading man roles.
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- Aviation: Angelina recently shared on The Tonight Show that Maddox is a fully trained pilot. He actually inspired her to start flying back in 2004 when he was just a toddler obsessed with planes. Now, the roles have reversed, and he’s the one confident in the cockpit.
- Film Production: He’s been working behind the scenes. He had an executive producer credit on First They Killed My Father at just 15, and more recently, he worked as a production assistant on the film Maria.
- The Name Change: It’s been widely reported that Maddox doesn't use "Pitt" in his daily life, preferring to go by Maddox Jolie. At 24, his relationship with his father, Brad Pitt, remains reportedly strained, a saga that has been playing out in the background of his entire adult life.
Why We Are Still Obsessed With His Age
People keep asking how old is Maddox because he represents the start of a specific era. He was the first of the "rainbow tribe," as the media cruelly dubbed them back then. His age serves as a biological clock for an entire generation of fans. When Maddox turns 24, it means we’re all getting older, too.
There's also the "mystery factor." Unlike his younger sister Shiloh, who has had high-profile dance videos go viral, or Zahara, whose sorority life at Spelman made headlines, Maddox is a ghost on social media. You won’t find an official Instagram. You won't see him posting "get ready with me" videos. This privacy makes every birthday feel like a revelation.
The Reality of Being 24 in 2026
At 24, Maddox is part of a cohort that is hyper-aware of global issues. His interests—biochemistry, Cambodian history, and aviation—suggest someone who is trying to build a foundation that exists outside of a camera lens.
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He speaks multiple languages, including Korean and French. He’s traveled the world ten times over. But basically, he’s just a young guy trying to figure out if he wants to stay in the lab or stay on a film set. Or maybe just stay in the air.
Final Insights on Maddox's Current Path
If you're looking to keep up with what's next for the eldest Jolie-Pitt, don't look at TikTok. Look at film credits and perhaps the aviation registries.
- Watch for production credits: He seems most comfortable in the "Producer" or "Assistant" roles where he can influence the story without having to be the face of it.
- Keep an eye on humanitarian work: Given his roots in Cambodia and his mother's influence, it's highly likely he'll pivot toward NGO work in Southeast Asia as he enters his late 20s.
- Respect the privacy: The fact that we have to Google his age to know what he's up to is a win for him. He’s successfully maintained a level of anonymity that most people in his position would find impossible.
Ultimately, Maddox is 24, educated, and seemingly very focused on a life that balances his Hollywood heritage with a very grounded, academic reality.