In a surprising and emotional turn of events, Shiloh Jolie, daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, decided to drop her father's last name legally.
This significant decision comes amid what her lawyer describes as “painful events” in her life.
Peter Levine, Shiloh’s attorney, clarified the situation in a statement, following reports that Shiloh had taken out a newspaper ad to announce her name change.
“Shiloh Jolie did not take out an ‘ad’ announcing any name change, and any press reporting that is inaccurate,” Peter told Page Six.
“As Shiloh’s attorney, I am required to publish a legal notice because the law in California requires that of anyone who wants to change their name. That legal notice was published in the Los Angeles Times, as is required.”
Levine emphasized the importance of accurate reporting, especially when it involves a young adult making a deeply personal decision.
“The media should be more careful in their reporting, especially when covering a young adult who has made an independent and significant decision following painful events, and is merely following legal process,” he stated.
The legal notice was indeed published. Shiloh, now 18, is officially seeking to change her name from Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie.
She filed for the name change on her 18th birthday in May. Interestingly, that same month, fans noticed that her 16-year-old sister Vivienne was listed as Vivienne Jolie in the Playbill for The Outsiders.
Brad, 60, is reportedly "aware and upset" about Shiloh’s decision to drop his last name, according to People.
However, Shiloh and Vivienne are not the only Jolie-Pitt children to take such steps.
Their sister, Zahara, 19, also dropped Pitt’s last name during her induction into the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority at Spelman College in Atlanta last November.
Additionally, Us Weekly reported in 2021 that Maddox, 22, “doesn’t use Pitt as his last name on documents that aren’t legal and instead uses Jolie.”
Angelina, 49, and Brad, who were declared legally single in 2019, share six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 16.