Brad Pitt Is ‘Absolutely Heartbroken’ That Daughter Shiloh Jolie Dropped His Last Name

On May 27, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt turned 18 years old, becoming a legal adult. To mark the momentous occasion? The avid dancer did something very grown-up: She filed a petition with the L.A. County Clerk to formally change her name to Shiloh Jolie — dropping dad Brad Pitt ’s surname entirely.

It was the latest sign of just how estranged the Bullet Train star, 60, has become from his six children since he and Angelina Jolie , 49, split in 2016. “Shiloh did not give her father a heads-up about her decision, and he was blindsided,” an insider exclusively reveals to Life & Style . “He’s absolutely heartbroken. Of all the kids, he was always closest to Shiloh and unaware their relationship had changed.”

“He really thought they were on good, solid ground.” Even though Shiloh reportedly hired her own lawyer and paid for the moniker change herself, Brad blames his ex-wife for his crumbling connection to Shiloh and her siblings — Maddox , 22, Pax , 20, Zahara , 19, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 15. “He feels Angie has slowly but surely turned their children against him,” says the insider. “Brad believes she absolutely influenced their decisions to distance themselves from him.”

On Team Angelina Jolie

Child custody has been one of the messiest aspects of Brad and Angie’s protracted divorce. The Maleficent star’s legal team alleges Brad had a “history of physical abuse” toward her and became violent with the kids , as well, on a 2016 plane ride. While officials cleared him of any wrongdoing following an investigation into the flight, she’s continued to fight for sole custody of their minor children — and a bodyguard recently claimed he overheard Angie “encouraging” the kids to avoid spending time with Brad during visits with him.

Whether it was because of her nudging or their personal choosing, the growing divide between father and children has been noticeable. In a 2020 social media post that surfaced last year, Pax reportedly called Brad a “worldclass a--hole” and alleged his younger siblings “tremble in fear” of him. Meanwhile, Vivienne and Zahara have also ditched the Pitt name in public settings of late. However, Shiloh is the only Jolie-Pitt to have legally done so.

“Brad was optimistic for a while about turning things around with the children, but noticed that his visits started to get cut way back,” shares the insider. “They no longer want to spend time with him, and Brad knows that Angie is sitting back and enjoying every minute of it. The situation’s just sad.”