Jon Voight and Angelina Jolie’s Relationship Is Nothing if Not Complicated
Around 2002, dad and daughter became estranged, with Angelina saying, "We don't really speak that much anymore."
Published July 24 2024, 3:37 p.m. ET
It may surprise some fans to learn that Angelina Jolie has a famous father, who is none other than actor Jon Voight.
And although at times the Mr. & Mrs. Smith star has been close to her dad, their relationship has definitely had its share of ups and downs.
Here's what we know about Jon Voight and Angelina Jolie's relationship, from the time she was a child, until now, including their estrangement and reconciliation — as well as what they have said about one another in public.
Angelina Jolie had anger toward Jon Voight about his affair.
Once upon a time, Jon was married to Angelina's mom, Marcheline Bertrand, but the couple didn't last much past the actress's first birthday due to infidelity on Jon's part.
In 2020, the mom of six wrote in The New York Times, "When my father had an affair, it changed [my mom's] life. It set her dream of family life ablaze. But she still loved being a mother."
Around 2002, dad and daughter became estranged, with Angelina saying, "We don't really speak that much anymore."
Things only got more strained when the humanitarian's dad talked to the press about his daughter in a very unflattering light that year.
Angelina Jolie was estranged from Jon Voight for many years.
In a cringeworthy interview, Jon told Access Hollywood about Angelina in part that he was "brokenhearted … because I've been trying to reach my daughter and get her help, and I have failed and I'm sorry. Really I haven't come forward and addressed the serious mental problems she has spoken about so candidly to the press over the years, but I've tried behind the scenes in every way."
Jon also said he was not allowed to see his grandson, Maddox.
Angelina responded to her dad's public comments about their personal life by issuing a statement that said in part, "I don't want to make public the reasons for my bad relationship with my father. I will only say that, like every child, [brother] Jamie and I would have loved to have had a warm and loving relationship with our dad."
"After all these years, I have determined that it is not healthy for me to be around my father, especially now that I am responsible for my own child," the actress added.
By 2010, however, the two actors were making efforts to repair their relationship, especially given that Marcheline had since passed away.
In 2011, Angelina, by then a mom of many, shared about her dad, "He's met the kids and they've met him, and I think that's important that they can do that." She added, "We're in each other's lives, but we don't, as a rule, discuss the past."
Jon Voight and Angelina Jolie didn't have a traditional father and daughter relationship even after reconciling.
According to E! Online, Jon was not present when Angelina married Brad Pitt in 2014. But when the couple eventually divorced, Jon was reportedly a great source of support to his star daughter.
Unfortunately, it seems the family is back in a bad place with Jon's July 2024 comments about Angelina's politics.
The iconic actor talked to Variety on, well, a variety of topics, with a source telling the publication, "Angelina wishes him well but does not speak about him publicly."
Jon did not hold back when it came to his daughter's pro-Palestinian stance. "She has been exposed to propaganda," Jon opined. "She’s been influenced by antisemitic people. Angie has a connection to the U.N., and she’s enjoyed speaking out for refugees. But these people are not refugees.”