As the fallout from a messy divorce continues to plague their family, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt‘s children are distancing themselves from their father. In reaction to Shiloh Jolie-Pitt‘s filing to cut her dad’s name from hers, Pitt is apparently “heartbroken” over the decision.
“Brad was blindsided by Shiloh dropping his last name, but he wasn’t surprised,” an insider told InTouchWeekly. “He feels that Angie has slowly but surely turned their kids against him. She absolutely influenced their decisions to distance themselves from their dad.”
The source went on to say that Brad feels like Angelina has something to do with it. “Shiloh did not give her dad the heads up about her decision. I mean how could she? He’s absolutely heartbroken, he’s really hurt because he was closest to Shiloh. He was unaware that their relationship changed, he really thought they were on good, solid ground,” they said.
Another source told People that Brad’s “aware and upset that Shiloh dropped his last name. He’s never felt more joy than when she was born. He always wanted a daughter,” said the source. “The reminders that he’s lost his children, is of course not easy for Brad. He loves his children and misses them. It’s very sad,” added the insider. “He’s still happy with Ines [de Ramon],” the source continued, but the distance from his children “pains him.”
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Shiloh filed the paperwork on May 27, 2024—her 18th birthday, the day she could legally do so without adult consent, suggesting some urgency to the matter. While the request hasn’t been approved yet, it appears to be in the works.
Angelina and Brad also share five other kids: Maddox, 22, Pax, 19, Zahara, 18, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 15. Interestingly, Shiloh isn’t the only sibling dropping Pitt from their name. In November 2023, Zahara introduced herself with just her mom’s last name when she joined the sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha at Spelman College.
“Brad one hundred percent blames Angie for Shiloh and Vivienne’s decisions. His only hope is Knox, but he’s not holding his breath,” the insider revealed to InTouch. “Brad understands the pressure he must be under by Angie and his siblings to follow their lead. It’s only a matter of time that Knox does the same thing.”
Most recently, their younger sister Vivienne also chose to drop their dad’s last name. Vivienne, who is working as a production assistant on the Broadway play The Outsiders, produced by Angelina, is credited in the Playbill as Vivienne Jolie.
Brad and Angelina split in September 2016 after an incident on their private jet involving their eldest son, Maddox. At the time, a source told People that Brad was allegedly “drunk” and that “there was an argument between him and Angelina.” The source mentioned that Maddox stepped in, leading to “a parent-child argument which was not handled in the right way and escalated more than it should have.”
