Brad Pitt “Still Isn’t Ready to Give Up on His Children,” Despite Increasingly Strained Relations

Brad Pitt’s daughter Shiloh has certainly taken the lion’s share of the headlines amongst the six children he shares with ex Angelina Jolie—specifically her decision to, on her 18th birthday last week, hire a lawyer (and apparently pay for said attorney herself) to file paperwork to legally change her name from Shiloh Jolie-Pitt to simply Shiloh Jolie. (Indicative, no doubt, of a strained relationship with her father.)

But Shiloh is far from the only one of Pitt’s brood to drop “Pitt” from their surname—though she does appear to be, so far anyway, the only one to file paperwork to do so legally. Back in November, Us Weekly reports, daughter Zahara introduced herself as “Zahara Marley Jolie” while joining the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority at Spelman College: “Coming all the way from the Golden State in the city that is full of angels, Los Angeles, California,” she said in a clip shared by Essence at the time. “I am this line’s number seven.” So, no “Pitt” in sight.

Then, last month, Us Weekly confirmed that Vivienne—who, with twin brother Knox, rounds out the youngest of Jolie and Pitt’s children—listed her name as “Vivienne Jolie” in the Playbill for The Outsiders: A New Musical, which Vivienne is working on, and which her mother, Jolie, is producing.

Maddox, the ex-couple’s eldest child, has also reportedly dropped “Pitt” from his last name; no word on Pax and Knox, the other two Jolie-Pitt children.

After becoming a couple in 2005, Jolie and Pitt married in 2014, but separated in 2016 following an alleged incident on a plane; because of battles over custody of their youngest children, Knox and Vivienne (who are still just 15 years old) and their shared winery, Chateau Miraval, Jolie and Pitt’s divorce continues to be argued in courts today, though they were both declared legally single in 2019. Even so, “After years of legal battles, Brad still isn’t ready to give up on his children,” a source told Us Weekly. “But knowing his children are dropping his last name is upsetting.” 

News of Shiloh’s requested name change comes on the heels of Pitt’s security guard, Tony Webb, claiming that “Jolie encouraged their children to ice out the actor during custody visits,” Us Weekly writes. In court documents obtained by the publication earlier this month, Webb alleged that a former employee, Ross Foster, told him “about statements he overheard that Ms. Jolie made to the children, encouraging them to avoid spending time with Mr. Pitt during custody visits.”

Though their divorce has been in motion for the better part of eight years, Us Weekly reports that it could end soon, and could see Jolie receive primary custody of Knox and Vivienne, the only two of the couple’s six children that are still underage. (The twins will turn 16 next month.) Pitt apparently (and not surprisingly) “isn’t thrilled” with the agreement, but has reportedly agreed to it. 

“He wishes their relationship was stronger and wants to work on that,” they said, adding that Pitt is disappointed he “doesn’t see the kids” as often as he’d like to.

Speaking of ongoing legal issues, Shiloh’s name change request—which was just filed on May 27—hasn’t been approved just yet.