This week, we learned that Vivienne Jolie-Pitt has filed the legal papers to change her name to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie, with Brad Pitt’s surname completely removed. Zahara and Maddox are already months into the same process to drop “Pitt” from their surnames, and Shiloh removed “Pitt” from her name in 2024. Incidentally, I’ve seen some bizarre commentary on this in my mentions, so let’s set out some facts: changing your legal name is a public record, and that’s how TMZ and People Magazine get their hands on this information – they submit FOIA requests for the legal filings. Now, is it possible that someone is nudging the media to go and look for these records? Possibly. But from what I can see, Angelina Jolie’s team is basically only standing up for the kids to make their own decisions, and Jolie is also clapping back on the wall of bulls–t from Brad’s cracked-out team of crisis managers. Speaking of, Page Six had some strangely pro-Angelina quotes:
Angelina Jolie is focused on healing as daughter Vivienne Jolie-Pitt becomes the latest of her children who has legally filed to drop Pitt from her last name.
“Angie hasn’t been fighting and isn’t angry. She just wants everyone to heal,” a source close to the “Maleficent” actress exclusively told Page Six.
“If people knew the whole truth they would have more sympathy for the children and respect them,” the insider claimed. “The fact they aren’t speaking ill or sharing things publicly only shows their decency.”
Representatives for Pitt and Jolie did not respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
Vivienne, 18, submitted paperwork July 20 in Los Angeles Superior Court requesting that her legal name be changed from Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie. Marcheline Bertrand is the name of Jolie’s late mom, who died in 2007 after a battle with ovarian and breast cancer.
In court docs obtained by Page Six, Vivienne lists the reason as “personal.”
“The fact they aren’t speaking ill or sharing things publicly only shows their decency….” I agree with this – the kids are clearly done with Brad, but they aren’t giving interviews or blasting him online (minus Pax, who blasted Brad online several years ago). The kids are letting their actions speak for themselves. Now, my question is: is that the right move? Long-term, I guess it’s the right move to just keep it moving and remove Brad and his name out of their lives forever. But in the short-term? I sort of wish one of the kids would just give an interview and burn it all down. I also wonder if Angelina has encouraged them NOT to do just that, especially with all of these idiotic Chateau Miraval lawsuits hanging over her head.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
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- Angelina Jolie at The Outsiders Broadway Opening Featuring: Angelina Jolie, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt Where: New York, New York, United States When: 11 Apr 2024 Credit: Janet Mayer/INSTARimages.com
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- London, UNITED KINGDOM – Angelina Jolie with her 5 kids at the “Eternals” UK gala screening, BFI Imax Waterloo, Charlie Chaplin Walk in London, England, UK. Pictured: Angelina Jolie, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt, Maddox Jolie Pitt, Knox Jolie-Pit BACKGRID USA 27 OCTOBER 2021 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY – Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie and her daughter Vivienne leave a production office in the heart of Mid-Town Manhattan. Pictured: Angelina Jolie, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt BACKGRID USA 19 AUGUST 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: JosiahW / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY – Actress Angelina Jolie and daughter Vivienne Jolie-Pitt attend the Hades Town Broadway Show at the Walter Kerr Theater in Times Square Manhattan. Pictured: Angelina Jolie BACKGRID USA 19 AUGUST 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: ROKA / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY – Actress Angelina Jolie and daughter Vivienne Jolie-Pitt attend the Hades Town Broadway Show at the Walter Kerr Theater in Times Square Manhattan. Pictured: Angelina Jolie BACKGRID USA 19 AUGUST 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: ROKA / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Angelina Jolie at The Outsiders Broadway Opening Featuring: Angelina Jolie, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt Where: New York, New York, United States When: 11 Apr 2024 Credit: Janet Mayer/INSTARimages.com
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- Angelina Jolie is seen attending the opening night of ‘The Outsiders’ at The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Featuring: Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie Where: New York, New York, United States When: 11 Apr 2024 Credit: BauerGriffin/INSTARimages
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- Angelina Jolie is seen attending the opening night of ‘The Outsiders’ at The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Featuring: Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie Where: New York, New York, United States When: 11 Apr 2024 Credit: BauerGriffin/INSTARimages
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- Brad Pitt and Ines de Ramon attend the women’s final during the 2026 French Open Featuring: Brad Pitt and Ines de Ramon Where: Paris, France When: 06 Jun 2026 Credit: Starface Photo/Cover Images **UK AND USA RIGHTS ONLY**
I think she has encouraged them not to do it, if she has, because it may be pleasing in the short term but in the long term it doesn’t really get you anything. You’ve already established that you don’t want to have a relationship with that parent, you have removed your legal ties as you see it from him, having a sit down explosive interview only pleases people that want to know the inside details.
Interesting thing about this parental alienation claim though is, what did you do to combat this? Maddox was already at the age where he could decide not to see Brad if he didn’t want to, but Z, Shiloh, the twins? They definitely would have had years where he could have shown that he was trying to change and wanted to be a good parent to them despite the past.
The fact that all of them the second that they could decided that they didn’t want to have anything to do with him that the courts couldn’t enforce, and then after that decided they didn’t even want to share his name anymore let you know that he didn’t make that effort at all.
my hunch is that she advised them against it. she learned early on that being too public with words and actions can work against you. I think all the kids understand that BP is not done torturing her, and want a united front. one day a lot of this will probably come out.
I think they are doing the classic “grey rock” tactic. You can’t use facts against a narcissist, it gives them ammunition to argue. I just watch a short on how to disarm a narcissist and they were saying to stay away from proof, receipts, facts and simple say things like “I trust my perception of what happened”, “I’m sorry you feel that way” & “I’m not getting pulled into that”
Those kids should not have to go not only against Pitt’s PR machine but really all of Hollywood’s. He is their golden boy and his fall would cost them money
I do hope his beard – what’shername – is being paid well for her tacky impersonation of Angelina….
She wants to keep them protected from that monster of a sperm donor so I tend to believe she’s cautioned them against speaking about him formally.
He is a complete trash heap. Had he genuinely tried to make amends and sought help for his behavior on that flight, his children wouldn’t have had to cut ties. Instead, Angie and the children are enduring the public scrutiny that belongs to him.
I had the misfortune of reading the comments under this story on People Magazine’s website. Those commentators usually tend to skew conservative but I have no doubt that there were also a lot of pro-Brad bots on that site too. I’m in support of the children protecting their peace and moving on. I think their actions speak for themselves but I do wonder if Angelina will ever speak about her experience with Brad. Perhaps there’s an NDA or some agreement that both sides will never speak about their marriage.
@ Amy Bee: I read some of the comments on that post, too! Soooo many bots. But also probably real people, unfortunately. It’s such a shame. I think the bots have gotten better, and they’re telling better stories. The whole “no one is perfect, but she drove a wedge; she’s bitter; she’s letting adult matters affect the kids; she’s too codependent on the kids for her sense of self” drivel… I shudder, but I think some of that rhetoric may work on some people. It’s convincing enough to shift tides, and you just need a small foothold to sway public.
To be 100% clear: I hate this. I hate that she and the kids are going through this. And I think the vitriol to should be with the flop who deserves it. At the very least, I think that people should not talk so knowledgably about things they don’t know about. Several of the comments said Brad did nothing to deserve this, and I cannot figure out how a person (a stranger) could think that they know that.
I am not in their family, either, so I don’t know as well. But this whole thing reminds me of a line in the Reese Witherspoon movie “Home Again” where her ex-husband says to her, “I can’t believe I had a winning hand, and I blew it.” That’s what makes Brad a flop.
I just can’t believe how the Brangelina split, turned as public and ugly as Farrow & Allen.😕😕
TV interviews will confirm the trajectory and stain.
IMO the “kids” who want to be in the film business need to move to Europe with their mother. Work in the film and theater community there.
Pittiful will use their desire to be in film against them, use it as a control tactic. He’s the one Hollywood adores, he’s the one with the power to do it.
I think the kids who are into theatre & film would probably find lots to do in New York, too – IIRC one of them was her PA on a show. NYC is where I worked in tv before switching to banking after I went back to school to do a postgrad degree and they tend to see the whole silly circus around LA in the same way the Brits to — like, Hugh Grant said, “fantastically phoney.”