Yet another of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s children has legally moved to distance herself from the Oscar-winning actor’s surname.
18-year-old Vivienne Jolie-Pitt has filed a legal petition to have "Pitt" removed from her last name.
The filing comes nearly two years after Jolie and Pitt finalized their nearly decade-long bitter divorce, while the former couple continues to battle over their French winery, Château Miraval.
Highlights
- Vivienne Jolie-Pitt has officially filed to remove "Pitt" from her legal name, becoming the latest sibling to do so.
- The filing has reignited interest in the long-running Jolie-Pitt family rift, years after Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt finalized their divorce.
- Vivienne's legal move mirrors a decision her mother made decades ago following her own family estrangement.
One netizen wrote, “This man truly f**ked up and lost the only thing that matters. It's a shame when fathers can't do their job right.”
Just days after turning 18, Vivienne officially asked Los Angeles County Superior Court to remove "Pitt" from her last name
Image credits: Getty/Bruce Glikas
According to court documents first obtained by People magazine, Vivienne quietly filed a petition in the Los Angeles County Superior Court to officially change her legal name and remove her father's surname.
The filing was submitted on Tuesday, July 21, only days after Vivienne celebrated her 18th birthday on July 12.
In the court documents, the 18-year-old listed the reason for the request simply as "personal."
Image credits: Getty/Stefania D'Alessandro
While she offered no further explanation, the filing comes after years of speculation surrounding the fractured relationship between Brad and several of his children following his highly publicized split from Angelina.
If approved, Vivienne will legally become Vivienne Marcheline Jolie, matching the professional name she has used in recent years.
Reportedly, a formal hearing has been scheduled for November 2 this year, when a judge will determine whether the request should be granted.
Vivienne had already begun distancing herself from the "Pitt" surname long before submitting the legal paperwork.
Vivienne is the latest of the Jolie-Pitt siblings, including Shiloh, Maddox, and Zahara, to legally drop their father's surname
Image credits: Getty/Monica Schipper
In May 2024, she was credited as "Vivienne Jolie" in the Playbill for the Broadway production of The Outsiders, where she worked alongside her mother as a production assistant.
At the time, many fans noticed that the "Pitt" surname was absent from the official credits, fueling speculation that the teenager had already chosen how she wanted to be identified professionally.
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However, because she was still under 18, Vivienne could not legally remove her father's surname without parental consent at the time.
Her latest move has also prompted comparisons to Angelina herself, who famously went through a similar process decades earlier.
In 2002, the Salt star legally dropped "Voight" from her own name, changing it from Angelina Jolie Voight to Angelina Jolie after years of estrangement from her father, actor Jon Voight.
Many observers have pointed to the striking similarities between mother and daughter, noting that both women chose to legally separate themselves from their famous fathers' surnames following deeply strained relationships.
Image credits: Getty/Jamie McCarthy
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The situation has reignited Angelina Jolie's own decision to drop her famous father Jon Voight's surname after their estrangement
Image credits: Getty/Evan Agostini
The filing has also arrived against the backdrop of Angelina and Brad’s long-running legal battle, which officially ended their marriage in December 2024, but failed to end the conflict surrounding their family.
Jolie first filed for divorce on September 19, 2016, just days after the now-infamous private plane incident involving the entire family.
According to online allegations, Pitt became verbally and physically a**sive toward Angelina and some of the children during a flight from France to Los Angeles.
While the FBI and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services investigated the incident, the actor was ultimately not charged with any crime.
And although the divorce has been finalized, the former couple remain embroiled in a separate legal dispute over their French winery, Château Miraval.
Moreover, Vivienne's filing is not an isolated decision. Instead, she is the latest member of the Jolie-Pitt family to formally, or publicly, drop her father's last name after reaching adulthood.
The first to do so was Shiloh, who filed a petition on her 18th birthday in May 2024.
Previously, a source close to Pitt accused Jolie of publicizing “successful alienation of their children from the other parent”
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Three months later, a judge officially approved the request, legally changing her name from Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie.
In May this year, Maddox also petitioned the court to legally change his name to Maddox Chivan Jolie, with his hearing scheduled for September 14.
Meanwhile, Zahara filed paperwork in June to legally update her name to Zahara Marley Jolie.
Although Knox has not publicly filed legal documents, he reportedly listed "Knox Jolie" on his high school diploma, further fueling speculation that he, too, has chosen to distance himself from the Pitt surname.
Image credits: Vogue
While none of the siblings have publicly detailed their reasons beyond what appears in the court documents, each has chosen to make the change after becoming legally old enough to do so independently.
Addressing the growing list of children distancing themselves from Brad, a source close to the Oscar winner previously told People, "It's sad to see someone repeatedly publicize their successful alienation of their children from the other parent."
The source's remarks quickly sparked discussion online, with many arguing that the now-adult children are simply exercising their own choices rather than being influenced by either parent.
“At this rate, Pitt isn’t a family name anymore, it’s a subscription everyone keeps canceling,” one netizen quipped
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