What has Maddox Jolie-Pitt been up to in 2023, at age 21? From his White House appearance with mum Angelina Jolie and working with brother Pax on her new film Without Blood
- Maddox Jolie-Pitt is 21! He had been studying at Yonsei University in South Korea, is a K-pop fan and speaks Korean – and even met Presidents Yoon Suk-yeol and Joe Biden at the White House in April
- How can we forget his faux hawk hairdo? As an adult, he appears to love tattoos like mum, sporting a large dragon design on his chest – but he’s still estranged from dad Brad Pitt
After being adopted from Cambodia when he was only seven months old back in 2002, Maddox Jolie-Pitt has led a particularly low-key life with few public appearances despite being from the world’s most famous family.
His first red carpet appearance was in 2004 for his mum’s film Shark Tale, where his faux hawk hairdo and undeniable charisma stole the show at the 61st Venice Film Festival. But his public outings were limited until 2009 when he attended the premiere of Invictus with his reportedly estranged father Brad Pitt.
But in recent years, Maddox seems to be coming out of his shell more, becoming a permanent fixture at his mum’s film premieres, from attending Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Marvel’s Eternals to his recent White House appearance.
So, what has Angelina Jolie’s first son been up to in 2023?
Maddox Jolie-Pitt’s White House appearance
On April 26, Angelina and Maddox made a rare public appearance attending a state dinner hosted by President Joe Biden at the White House in honour of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee.
The mother-son duo turned heads with their elegant white-and-black outfits, with Angelina wearing a dress made for her many years ago and a vintage Chanel jacket, while Maddox opted for a stylish suit, as reported by Elle.
The event was particularly poignant for Maddox, who has strong ties to South Korea, having studied there. Relations between Asia and the US are also reportedly important to the whole family, per People.
Angelina has visited South Korea several times, most recently in 2019 when Maddox started at Yonsei University, and then in 2018 when she met with refugees on behalf of the UN Refugee Agency. Her book on youth rights, co-authored with Amnesty International, Know Your Rights (and Claim Them), was also published in South Korea last year, per the same source.