‘If people knew the whole truth’: Angelina Jolie’s feelings about children dropping ‘Pitt’ from their name

As another one of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s children has legally filed to drop “Pitt” from their surname, it’s been reported that she just wants “everyone to heal”. 

The former couple share six children, Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 18. The youngest became the latest to file a petition to drop her father’s surname earlier this week, following the same move from Zahara, Maddox and Shiloh. 

The reason for the name change has been listed as “personal” according to court documents. 

But a source close to Angelina has said that there is more to the story. 

“If people knew the whole truth, they would have more sympathy for the children and respect them,” the source told People. 

“The fact they aren’t speaking ill or sharing things publicly only shows their decency.”

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The source added, “Angie hasn’t been fighting and isn’t angry. She just wants everyone to heal.”

But it doesn’t seem to be the same feeling on Pitt’s side. 

“It’s sad to see someone repeatedly publicise their successful alienation of their children from the other parent,” a source close to Pitt has previously told People.

Last year a source confirmed that Pitt had very little to do with his adult children.

“He has virtually no contact with the adult kids. His engagement with the younger kids is more limited in recent months because of his filming schedule,” the source told People. At the time Pitt was filming F1.

Vivienne was the latest of their children to submit the petition to legally change her name to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie, filing on July 21. 

A hearing on the petition is scheduled for November, the documents said.

The move would formalise Vivienne’s distancing from her famous father.

In May 2024, she was credited as simply Vivienne Jolie in the Playbill for Broadway show The Outsiders, which she produced alongside her mother.

Zahara is also seeking to legally change her name to Zahara Marley Jolie, while Maddox is requesting to become Maddox Chivan Jolie. Both of their petitions are currently still pending. 

Earlier this month the siblings published legal notices in California newspapers to confirm their intent to drop “Pitt” from their names.

Shiloh was the first to drop Pitt from her name in 2024, changing it to Shiloh Jolie.

Known as Brangelina during their time together, Jolie and Pitt met in 2004 on the set of the film Mr. & Mrs. Smith and share the six children.

By the time the film was released in 2005, Pitt had left Jennifer Aniston to be with Jolie, who had already adopted Maddox from a Cambodian orphanage in 2002, when he was seven months old.

The couple married in 2014 at their French chateau before separating in 2016 following an incident on a private jet as it was ferrying the family from Europe to the US.