Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie share six children: Maddox, 24; Pax, 22; Zahara, 21; Shiloh, 20; and 17-year-old twins, Knox and Vivienne. But since their 2016 separation, there have been numerous signs suggesting that Brad and the kids are not on good terms.
For context, Brad and Angelina’s seemingly sudden split was believed to have been triggered by an alleged incident involving the couple and their kids on a private jet. Brad was accused of physically abusing Maddox, then 15, during a flight between Europe and the US. Child welfare officials investigated the incident and, after denying all allegations, Brad was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Angelina is seen with the children regularly and talks about them with deep affection, and vice versa. Brad, on the other hand, has not talked about or been photographed with any of the kids in years.
So, conversations about Brad’s seeming estrangement from the children ramped up in May 2024 when Shiloh filed to change her last name from “Jolie-Pitt” to “Jolie” on her 18th birthday. A few months later, a source told People that Brad “has virtually no contact with the adult kids.” At this time, Vivienne and Knox were 15, and the insider suggested that Brad’s contact with them was “limited.”
Since then, two more of the Jolie kids have also legally requested that “Pitt” be removed from their names. This year, on May 29, People published a report claiming that Maddox recently filed legal documents requesting a name change to Maddox Chivan Jolie.
And now, reports suggest that Zahara followed suit, making her the third child to file a petition to drop “Pitt.” Zahara’s filing reportedly came just a few days after Maddox’s.
Given how little he’s spoken about his children over the past decade, it seems unlikely that Brad will address the name changes publicly. In June 2024, after Shiloh’s filing, People reported that the actor was “aware and upset” about the situation. And now, another insider has spoken out on the latest developments.
Following the news of Zahara’s filing, a source close to Brad purportedly told People, “It’s sad to see someone repeatedly publicize their successful alienation of their children from the other parent” — seemingly a dig at Angelina.
This all comes after Zahara gave a moving speech at a college event in April, in which she described Angelina as “the most selfless, loving, and understanding woman who I get to call my mom.” “I was adopted at 6 months old and given some of the most special and loving people as my siblings, with a mom who raised us on the value of helping others, being kind, and always striving for growth as people,” she said, with Angie watching on proudly. “These values may sound simple, but in a world where kindness is overlooked and helping others comes at a cost, I am grateful to have had a role model to show me what it looks like to be a decent human being.”
