Angelina's camp frames this as a necessary step for healing, insisting she participated in years of family therapy to help everyone move past the trauma that led to the divorce.
Brad's sources claim this is a deliberate, weaponized campaign to alienate the children from their father, with one insider noting the situation is 'heartbreaking' for the actor.
Vivienne's name change was granted Monday in LA. Knox used 'Knox Jolie' on his June diploma. Shiloh filed in May 2024; Maddox filed in May 2026. Divorce settled Dec 2024.
The Pitt-Jolie dynasty is legally dissolving one child at a time, and Brad is running out of names to fight for.
The exodus from the Pitt family tree continues, and this time, it’s the twins. Just days after Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt legally dropped her father’s surname, her brother Knox is reportedly preparing to do the same. According to sources speaking exclusively to Page Six, the 18-year-old hasn’t filed the paperwork yet, but insiders insist it is "only a matter of time" and "inevitable." If Knox follows through, he will become the fifth of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s six children to legally remove "Pitt" from their names, leaving the actor in a precarious position with his own lineage.
For Brad, 62, the situation is described as "heartbreaking." The source close to the actor revealed that while there is no specific timeline for Knox’s filing, the move is expected. This isn't just a sudden whim for the teenager; he has already signaled his allegiance to his mother’s side of the family. When Knox graduated from Fusion Academy in Los Angeles this past June, he didn’t walk across the stage as a Pitt.
Instead, his diploma read "Knox Jolie," a subtle but significant public declaration that preceded any legal action. The legal machinery of the family split is grinding away with precision. Vivienne’s name change was officially granted by a Los Angeles judge on Monday, following a petition she filed on July 20, just eight days after turning 18.
She cited "personal" reasons for the change, a phrase that has become standard boilerplate for the Jolie children’s recent filings. This follows closely on the heels of Zahara’s September name change, where a judge approved her petition to become Zahara Marley Jolie. Earlier this year, in September, Maddox also finalized his transition to Maddox Chivan Jolie, having initially filed in May.
The narrative around these changes is fiercely contested. A source close to Angelina, 51, claims the actress has been focused on healing and participated in years of family therapy to address the "harm that was done" and the lack of honesty from Brad. However, sources aligned with Brad see a different picture.
One insider described the pattern as "complete and total alienation," accusing Angelina of using the name changes as a "weapon" to hurt their father. With the divorce finally settled in December 2024 after an eight-year battle, the remaining legal dispute over Château Miraval continues, but the battle for the family name appears to be nearing its final chapter.
