Angelina Jolie Shares Emotional Update on Family ‘Home’ in Cambodia After Vowing to Leave U.S.

Angelina Jolie is sharing a heartfelt update about a place close to her heart.

One year after conflict erupted along Cambodia’s border with Thailand, the actress and humanitarian, 51, took to Instagram to reflect on the impact of the violence while reaffirming her family’s deep connection to the country.

“Now, nearly 30,000 people remain internally displaced and unable to return home,” the Oscar winner said one year on from the conflict, which she said upended the “safety and stability” of so many in the region.

Jolie, who adopted her son Maddox, now 24, from an orphanage in Battambang in 2002, went on to reflect on the special place the country has in her heart, with the Lara Croft alum making it her home after vowing in recent years to leave the United States once her youngest children, twins Knox and Vivienne, turned 18.

“Cambodia has always been a special country for me and my family. This is my son’s country of birth, our home is here, and for over 20 years, we’ve worked with a fully locally-led team on conservation and community development,” she continued of her Maddox Foundation, which, per its website, “works alongside rural communities in the Samlout region to handle landmine clearance, environmental conservation of the Samlout Forest, local education infrastructure, healthcare, and sustainable agriculture.”

The foundation’s base, which Jolie said is located near where the conflict occurred, is also in a region where the mother of six has built roots.

“The Maddox Foundation is headquartered on the same border where the recent conflict took place. I have had the honor of becoming close friends with my neighbors and the Foundation team as we demined and developed the area together,” Jolie went on to say before describing the impact the conflict has had on the foundation.

While Jolie revealed that the foundation was forced to evacuate its staff from the region last year, she said they are back at work.

“I love this country and its resilient, warm people. While we’re grateful to have resumed our work protecting the land and supporting the community’s health and livelihoods, my heart is with everyone still waiting to come home,” Jolie added before ending the emotional post by reiterating her warm message of return in Cambodian.

The candid post about Jolie’s newfound home comes after she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2024 that she planned to leave Los Angeles for Cambodia after the twins’ 18th birthday — a milestone they hit earlier this month.

“I am here because I have to be here from a divorce, but as soon as they’re 18, I’ll be able to leave,” she shared with the outlet, shortly before her divorce from Brad Pitt was finalized. “[After Los Angeles,] I’ll spend a lot of time in Cambodia. I’ll spend time visiting my family members wherever they may be in the world.”

Maddox, Vivienne, Shiloh, 20, and Zahara, 21, have all opted to drop the Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood actor’s famous moniker, while keeping Jolie in their name.