Brad Pitt has been ‘hurt’ by daughter Shiloh Jolie’s decision to legally drop his last name, according to sources, who claim the Hollywood star has not given up hope of a reconciliation with his children after the ‘dust has settled’ from his lengthy divorce with Angelina Jolie.
Shiloh was officially granted a name change from Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie on Monday, three months after she first filed to drop Pitt’s name on her 18th birthday back in May.
Now, insiders have revealed how Brad, 60, has been processing the situation, insisting that he respects her decision and has become accustomed to the strained relationship he has with his children and ex-wife Angelina Jolie, 49.
‘He knew this was coming and there is nothing he can do about it right now,’ a source exclusively revealed to DailyMail.com.
‘It’s sad but Brad’s strained relationship with his kids and Angelina is just a way of life for him now.’
Brad Pitt is ‘hurt’ by daughter Shiloh Jolie’s decision to legally drop his last name, which she first filed to remove in May
Shiloh Nouvel Jolie, 18, has officially had her name change petition approved by the court (pictured with mom Angelina Jolie in 2021)
The insider added that Brad will always leave the door open for his estranged children should they be willing to reconnect in the future.
The source continued: ‘He respects Shiloh’s decision. He loves her and no matter what happens, he is always only a phone call away.
‘He will be there for Shiloh and any of his kids whenever they need, no questions asked. But it’s up to them to make the next move.’
Brad and Angelina, who met in 2004 while filming Mr. And Mrs. Smith before tying the knot in 2014, share six children together: sons Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, and Knox, 16, and daughters Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and Vivienne, 16.
The couple filed for divorce in September 2016 and have had a strained relationship since.
But a second source added that Brad believes his children will reach out once enough time has passed for them to be able to look back on the family fall out and realize his importance in their lives.
‘Brad feels in his heart that after all the dust has settled and the years have passed that he will get a fair shot at being a part of Shiloh’s life again’, the insider explained.
‘He knows that, with some of the other kids who are not biologically his children, they do not understand and may never allow him back into their lives.
‘But Brad truly feels that with Shiloh, as well as Vivienne and Knox, that when this divorce is over, and the lawsuits are far behind them they will take a good look in the mirror and realize that their father is a part of them.’
Brad, 60, has been involved in an ongoing divorce battle with Angelina, 49, (pictured with their family in 2011) since September 2016 after she accused him of assaulting her on a private jet
Since then the couple’s daughter Vivienne, 16, pictured in April, has dropped Pitt from her moniker
For now, the Meet Joe Black star is pushing past the pain caused by the estrangement from his children and keeping optimist about the chances things might change.
The source added: ‘Brad accepts that Shiloh has made this decision and although it does hurt, he also believes that the time will come when she sees everything for what it is.’
Shiloh isn’t the first of Brad’s children to make this move after older sister Zahara appeared to drop Pitt from her name when she joined Spelman college in 2023.
Younger sister Vivienne also dropped the last name in the Playbill credit for The Outsiders, a play she helped to produce alongside her mother.
Last month Shiloh took out a newspaper ad marking the name change – which is a standard step before the court would approve.
The notice also stated that anyone who had objections to the petition should show up in court.
A source close to the matter at the time told Dailymail.com: ‘Shiloh hired her own lawyer and paid for it herself, so Angie doesn’t know and can’t speak for it.
‘But, if you’re asking if this is connected to the abuse history or the violation of Shiloh’s victims rights, yes, that’s part of it.’
The revelation that Shiloh paid the fees herself highlighted the fact that the ugly spat between the former couple may still rumble on in the form of legal action from the estrange couple’s six children.
There have been long custody battles which eventually ended in a victory for Brad, who got 50-50 custody in 2021, only to have it overturned on appeal.
He had a judge intervene to tell Angelina she must not listen in on his mobile phone calls with the children. The judge has also ordered ‘reunification therapy’ for the Benjamin Button star and the kids.
It came months after Zahara, 19, appeared to drop Pitt from her name at her AKA sorority initiation at Spelman College in 2023 (pictured in 2021 with Angelina)
All six children appeared to form a tight unit with Angelina after the now infamous incident onboard a private jet in 2016 (pictured in 2019)
The actor set up a skate park in his home for Shiloh, and more recently an art studio to reflect their common interest in art.
He has sent cars and security to ferry the children from Angelina’s home to his whenever there is an allotted custody visit. Sadly, none of it has brought them closer.
In fact son Pax claimed in an Instagram post in 2016 that the four youngest children – which includes Shiloh – ‘tremble with fear in his presence.’
All six children appeared to form a tight unit with Angelina after the now infamous incident onboard a private jet in 2016.
An FBI report, which was published in 2022, saw Angelina accuse Brad of physical assault while flying to California. She claimed that he was intoxicated and grabbed her by the head, shook her, and later pushed her down, as part of a confrontation allegedly related to their children.
The Salt actress told the FBI that Brad told the children that she was ‘f***ing up this family,’ and claimed he punched the ceiling of the airplane four times.
She claimed that at one point he poured beer on her and a blanket she was under with multiple children.
A source close to Brad later insisted that he never hit any of the children, though they admitted that he had been drinking.
A source stated: ‘It’s sad but Brad’s strained relationship with his kids and Angelina is just a way of life for him now. There is absolutely nothing he can do about it right now’
The source added: ‘Brad truly feels that… when this divorce is over, and the lawsuits are far behind them [his children] will take a good look in the mirror and realize that their father is a part of them’
Brad and Angelina started dating publicly shortly after he and his then-wife Jennifer Aniston announced their divorce in 2005.
The Mr. And Mrs. Smith costars remained unmarried for years despite having multiple adopted and biological children together, before they got engaged in 2012 and finally tied the knot in 2014.
However, it was only around two years later when the Maleficent actress filed for divorce. They were declared legally single in 2019, but have yet to finalize their divorce owing to an ongoing legal battle over their co-ownership of Chateau Miraval.
Brad, who is now dating 35-year-old model Ines de Ramon, is suing his ex-wife for selling her half of the estate without his consent for $67 million in October 2021.