Brad Pitt has reason to believe that ex-wife Angelina Jolie is behind their kids dropping his surname, according to a source. Their eldest biological daughter Shiloh filed legal paperwork to remove her father's surname on her 18th birthday in May 2024. But she isn't the only one of the Jolie-Pitt children who goes without the actor's last name.
In recent years, their eldest son Maddox was the first to stop using it. Daughters Zahara and Vivienne have also only used "Jolie" when introducing themselves at public events. Meanwhile, sons Knox and Pax have not publicly revealed which last name they prefer.
A source exclusively revealed that Brad was hurt by his daughter's decision. "Brad was devastated by this choice," they said. "To him, it was more than a change of name — it was a symbol of a deeper estrangement that has been brewing for years.”
Another source close to the family said that Shiloh hired her own lawyer to handle the case and that the decision was fully hers. This change comes amid the former couple's court wars. Angelina recently hit Brad with a $350 million lawsuit.
More from LittleThings: Maddox Jolie Didn't Have Too Many Kind Words To Say About Brad Pitt In Court
He sued Angelina after she sold her stake in their winery, Chateau Miraval, which they purchased while married. Their plans were to pass the business down to their children. Brad said his ex broke an agreement they had to not sell their stake in Miraval without approval from the other.
“Brad Pitt has been engaged in a vindictive campaign to dominate and loot the wine business that the couple had built and owned together,” the complaint read. “Pitt masterminded a so-far-successful plan to seize de facto control of Chateau Miraval, despite lacking a controlling ownership interest. He has frozen Nouvel out of Chateau Miraval and treats it as his personal fiefdom.”
The company hit back with the $350 million countersuit against Brad, accusing him of misusing company assets. Nouvel accuses him of “hijacking” his own business by intentionally wasting millions of dollars and trying to siphon off its assets to his other businesses and friends.
Another source says that Brad's relationship with his kids amid all the legal drama is nonexistent. “Sadly, Brad doesn’t have much of a relationship with his kids,” they said. “He’s not ready to give up on them, but knowing they are dropping his name is upsetting.” Another source added, “Brad’s putting on a brave face, but behind closed doors, he’s finding it extremely difficult to come to terms with [what’s happening].”
The first source shared that Brad believes Angelina is the reason his kids want nothing to do with him. “He feels that the negative narrative Angelina presents to the kids is a major obstacle in his efforts to reconnect. With Angelina having daily influence over the children, Brad finds it nearly impossible to change their perceptions.”
Someone else close to the family called it a classic case of “textbook parental alienation.” They added that the actress “targeted Shiloh from the start because she was the closest to Brad.”
