Vivienne Jolie, the 18-year-old daughter of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, has taken a further legal step toward officially dropping her father's surname. Court documents obtained by TMZ show that her petition to change her name from Vivienne Jolie-Pitt to Vivienne Jolie has been published in the Los Angeles Daily Journal once a week for four consecutive weeks, as required under California's name-change procedure.
The publication of the legal notice allows anyone who wishes to oppose the request to submit a written objection before a final hearing. No indication has emerged that Pitt, 62, intends to challenge the application. Vivienne's move follows years of public signs that the relationship between the actor and several of his six children has deteriorated.
A pattern among the Jolie-Pitt siblings
Vivienne is not the first of Pitt and Jolie's children to stop using the Pitt surname. Her older sister Shiloh, now 20, filed to legally become Shiloh Jolie on the day she turned 18 in 2024. At the time, a source told People that Pitt was 'aware and upset' by the decision. 'The reminders that he's lost his children, is of course not easy for Brad,' the source said. 'He loves his children and misses them. It's very sad.'
Earlier this year, Zahara, 21, and Maddox, 24, reportedly began the legal process of removing Pitt from their surnames. Both had already used Jolie publicly for some time. Zahara introduced herself as Zahara Marley Jolie at an Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority event in 2023 and continued using that name at her university graduation this year. Maddox was credited as Maddox Jolie for his work on his mother's film Couture.
Vivienne had also been dropping Pitt informally before filing her petition. When she worked as an assistant on the Broadway production of The Outsiders, she was listed in the playbill as Vivienne Jolie. Her new legal notice brings her closer to making that change permanent.
Background of a bitter separation
The developments occur against the backdrop of Pitt and Jolie's acrimonious separation, which began nearly a decade ago. The former couple, once Hollywood's most famous pair, split after a private plane journey from France to California in 2016, during which Jolie accused Pitt of being drunk and aggressive. She claimed he grabbed her by the head, injured her back and elbow, choked one of their children, and struck another. Jolie also alleged that the altercation began between Pitt and one of the children, escalated into a physical fight, and that he poured beer and wine over his family.
Five days after the flight, Jolie filed for divorce. The former couple reached a divorce settlement in 2024, eight years after the split. In the intervening years, they also engaged in a lengthy legal battle over a French winery, Château Miraval. In October 2021, Jolie sold her half of the winery for $67 million (£51 million) after negotiations for Pitt to buy her out collapsed. Pitt sued her the following year, claiming her sale to SPI Group owner Yuri Shefler violated an agreement not to sell without the other's approval. Jolie countersued, alleging Pitt had secretly maneuvered to take control of the winery and had been 'waging a vindictive war against' her since the divorce filing. Pitt has denied all allegations of abuse.
Children's public statements and legal filings
Most of the children have avoided public discussion of their relationship with Pitt. However, a 2020 Father's Day message allegedly written by Pax, now 22, resurfaced publicly in 2023. In the private Instagram post, the then-16-year-old reportedly described his father as a 'world-class a**hole' and a 'terrible and despicable person,' accusing Pitt of having 'no consideration or empathy' for his younger children and claiming they were frightened in his presence. People in Pitt's circle dismissed the allegations at the time as a 'depressing smear.'
In court filings made in 2024, Jolie's lawyers claimed Pitt's alleged 'history of physical abuse' toward Jolie began before the 2016 flight. They argued the plane incident was significant because it was allegedly 'the first time he turned his physical abuse on the children as well.' Pitt has consistently denied these allegations.
