Brad Pitt's Sister Julie Pitt Neal Has Adopted 2 Children & Is Involved in Charity Work
Julie Pitt Neal is the younger sister of actor Brad Pitt. She invests her time in philanthropic endeavors but does not capitalize on her link to one of Hollywood's leading men. With her husband, Rob, she adopted two children from Ethiopia.
Julie Pitt Neal is married to Rob, a consultant. The devoted Christian couple has five children, two of whom they adopted. While different in their approaches, she is active in the non-profit sector like her big brother, Brad Pitt.
With a diverse range of interests and abilities, she makes a difference in her community and wherever she sees a need. The family lives in Missouri, far from the Hollywood limelight - geographically and ideologically.
Julie Is the Youngest Child in the Pitt Family
Julie was born in 1969 to school counselor Jane Etta Pitt (née Hillhouse) and William Alvin "Bill" Pitt, truck company manager. She grew up in Springfield, Missouri, with her two elder brothers, William Bradley (born in 1963) and Doug (born in 1966).
The middle child, Doug, is a businessman with three children, Reagan, Sydney, and Landon. Like his brother and sister, he is involved in charitable causes, having found the "Care to Learn" organization in Springfield. He helped raise funds for water projects in Tanzania.
The siblings collaborated to raise $1 million for The Jane Pitt Pediatric Center at Mercy Hospital, which opened in 2010. A family friend told Daily Mail that despite Julie's faith and Brad being an atheist, the pair "share common values."
Julie Has Been Married for 32 Years
Julie has been in a rock-solid marriage with Rob for the last 32 years. The couple has excellent marital role models in her parents, who celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary in 2022.
The pair has three biological children, a son, Caleb, born December 28, 1994, and twin daughters, Rylie and Josie, born on October 24, 1997. Following her brother's example, they have expanded their family by adopting two Ethiopian children, Caden and Cruz.
Rob has an MBA and is a partner Partner at ServiceWorld Business Solutions. The company website lists accounting and technology management as his passions. He is on various local charity boards, such as K-Life and Ozarks Literacy Council.
Julie Has Adopted Two Children
The Neals adopted Caden, born in June 2006, and Cruz, in September 2007, as babies. At the height of the "Black Lives Matter" protests in 2020, Julie opened up about being a parent to children from another race:
"When we chose to adopt, we knew we’d have some challenges...particularly racial ones. But what I didn’t realize is HOW differently I would have to parent them because of the color of their skin. [...] This is wrong on so many levels."
The mother's Instagram account is heavily peppered with shoutouts on all her children's birthdays, with celebrations of Caden and Cruz's Name Day, the day they were adopted, carrying equal weight. She honored Caden's biological mother as a "strong woman."
Julie Is Ardent in Her Faith
Julie's altruism is rooted in her Christian faith, and she identifies as a "lover of Jesus" in a social media profile. She is an active church member. In her talk at "She Is Fearless," she bore witness: "When God calls you, he provides."
The stay-at-home mother of five and part-time nursery school teacher has a glamorous side hustle.
In a video for WorldServe International, she said that God called the family to Ethiopia when they prayed about their adoption plans. The Neals visited the rural area where Cruz was born. Upon seeing the dire lack of clean water, Julie testifies that God called on them to help.
Adoption Inspires Charity Work
Jane is very proud of her three children and praises them for stepping in when they see a need. Julie is the Water Ambassador for WorldServe International and the director of "I Pour Life." In a video from the former, Julie explains her involvement:
"Who is going to stand up for that mom over there who's watching her kid, you know, die before her eyes? Who is going to stand up to be her voice? There is so much more beyond here in that we are all called to do something."
She is also the director of "Digg Deep," which raised thousands for a well in the village where her youngest son, Cruz, was born. Daughter Joslyn says the well's inauguration was an incredible day, adding that it was "insane" to her that the village didn't have clean water.
Julie Has Her Ties to the Film Industry
The stay-at-home mother of five and part-time nursery school teacher has a glamorous side hustle. When her Oscar-nominated brother lights up the screen, she is part of the crew that makes him and his fellow actors look good.
She is an assistant set decorator with multiple big-budget credits on her IMDb page, including "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," "War Horse," and her former sister-in-law Angelina Jolie's Disney film, "Maleficent."
She began her behind-the-scenes Hollywood career as a draughtsperson in the 90s on "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" and "Sleepy Hollow." She was the prop-making draughtsperson in the 2005 adaptation of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
Actor Brad Pitt (C), (L-R) Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt,, Maddox Jolie-Pitt, Jane Pitt, and William Pitt arrive at the Premiere Of Universal Studios' "Unbroken" at TCL Chinese Theatre on December 15, 2014 in Hollywood, California. Source: Getty Images
Julie Paves Own Way
The busy mother always finds the time to proudly brag about her children and post loving messages about her husband on social media. A notable omission from her postings is her famous older brother.
Uncle Brad Pitt does not appear in any of her photos, not even photos of events such as their mother's eightieth birthday bash that he is sure to have attended.
The only social media link the siblings have, other than their last name, is a photo of his work in Haiti in the "WorldServe International" YouTube video where her mother lauded her children's causes.
Julie has built her platform to significantly impact the world without using her close link to the entertainment industry.