Brad Pitt was left "heartbroken" and "blindsided" by his daughter Shiloh Jolie's decision to legally drop "Pitt" from her last name, a source close to the matter told In Touch. The 18-year-old filed court paperwork on her birthday, May 26, making it her first major decision as an adult. While the move came as a surprise to Pitt, the insider claims he believes his ex-wife, Angelina Jolie, had a role in influencing their children's decisions to distance themselves from their father.
"Brad was blindsided by Shiloh dropping his last name, but he wasn't surprised," the source revealed. "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 insider added that Shiloh did not inform her father about her decision, leaving him "absolutely heartbroken" and "really hurt" as he believed they were on "good, solid ground." Pitt, 60, and Jolie's oldest biological child's choice to only go by "Jolie" follows a similar pattern set by several of her siblings.
In November 2023, video surfaced of the former couple's adopted daughter Zahara, 19, being initiated into the Mu Pi chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Spelman College. During the ceremony, she proudly stated, "My name is Zahara Marley Jolie. And [I] landed all the way from the Golden State in the city full of angels: Los Angeles, California."
Similarly, Brad and Angie's youngest daughter, Vivienne, 15, was listed as "Vivienne Jolie" in the playbill for the Broadway musical The Outsiders, where she worked as her mother's assistant. Angelina served as the lead producer for the play, and the pair posed together at the April 12 opening night.
According to the source, Pitt "one hundred percent blames Angie for Shiloh and Vivienne's decisions," with his only hope being their son Knox, although he's "not holding his breath." The insider noted that Pitt understands the pressure Knox must be under from Jolie and his siblings to follow their lead, adding, "It's only a matter of time that Knox does the same thing."
The strained relationship between Pitt and his children has been evident since Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016, with none of their six children being photographed with the actor since then. In a December 2023 profile for WSJ Magazine, Jolie gushed about her tight bond with her children, calling them "the closest people to me and my life" and "my close friends."
However, a source close to the matter told Fox News that Shiloh's decision to remove Pitt from her last name is connected to the alleged "abuse history" and "violation" of her victim's rights. The insider revealed that Shiloh hired her own lawyer and paid for it herself to file the paperwork on her 18th birthday.
Pitt is reportedly "upset" over his daughter's name change, with a source telling People magazine, "He's aware and upset that Shiloh dropped his last name. He always wanted a daughter." The source added, "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."
The ongoing legal battles between Pitt and Jolie have further strained their relationship, with Pitt accusing Jolie of intentionally sabotaging his relationship with their children. Court documents previously obtained by Fox News Digital revealed allegations of abuse during a 2016 fight, where Pitt allegedly "choked one of the children and struck another in the face" and "grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her."
