Ever since the point when they first split up in 2016, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s relationship has seemingly been anything but cordial and agreeable, save for brief moments of respite between revealing interviews and/or legal filings about their controversial 2016 flight. Their strife has obviously had an impact on the six children they share together, and potentially inspired several of the offspring to alter their surnames in a way that drops the “Pitt” entirely. Shiloh Jolie-Pitt is the latest to go that route, and the way she went about it is why her Maleficent-starring mom hasn’t addressed the issue.
Weeks after rumors spread suggesting that Shiloh Jolie-Pitt aimed to move in with Brad Pitt in the midst of the celebs’ legal battle over the Chateau Miraval winery, the teen reportedly filed paperwork on Monday, May 27, with the goal of legally changing her last name from Jolie-Pitt to just Jolie. According to Entertainment Tonight, that move was made totally independently, which is partially why fans haven’t heard Angelina Jolie’s thoughts on the change yet. According to the outlet’s source:
Shiloh hired her own lawyer and paid for it herself, so Angie doesn't know and can't speak for it.
Notably, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt is said to be the first amongst her siblings to make the name change officially recognized by the law, as opposed to going by a truncated version solely for professional or personal reasons. Making things appear all the more urgent for her is the fact that May 27 was also her 18th birthday (as well as Memorial Day), so it’s clear that losing “Pitt” was extremely important to her.
It’s unclear whether or not Angelina Jolie actually was aware of her daughter’s plans before the filing was submitted, but it doesn’t appear she tried to change anything if so. Given the legal system’s not-exactly-speedy way of handling things, it’s unclear when the switch to “Shiloh Jolie” will be finalized. But perhaps that’s when the former Lara Croft portrayer will share a statement about it.
Brad Pitt previously spoke about Shiloh’s awesome dance moves in a video that went viral back in 2022, and around the time when she was reportedly planning to move in with him, it was stated that she adores her daddio, and that he was happy to have her, as she’s a total daddy’s girl. If that’s the case, perhaps the name change isn’t reflective of any family turmoil, but just a way to have a shorter surname.
Some Of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's Other Children Also Altered Their Names
It’s certainly possible that Shiloh Jolie-Pitt’s motivation to legally change her name came from seeing several of her siblings drop the “Pitt” out of their names in the last year or so amidst the winery lawsuit (which took a turn recently when the judge handling the case requested Jolie turn in the lion’s share of paperwork regarding Chateau Miraval.) For instance, the oldest sibling Maddox, who was adopted when Jolie was still married to Billy Bob Thornton, is said to not use Pitt publicly anymore, per TMZ.
The first of the six kids to go that route, however, was Zahara Jolie-Pitt. The 18-year-old Spelman University student was seen on video in November 2023 pledging for Alpha Kappa Alpha, where she noticeably did not use her full last name, and instead went by Zahara Marley Jolie.
More recently, the former couple’s 15-year-old daughter was specifically noted with the name “Vivienne Jolie” within the Playbill for the Broadway production of The Outsiders that she helped to co-produce alongside Angelina Jolie. It’s still unclear if Vivienne, Zahara, or anyone beyond Shiloh is planning to get legally permanent with their own surname tweaks, so it’ll be interesting to see how things shake out in the coming months.
