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In a highly publicized move, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's 18-year-old daughter Shiloh has been granted legal approval to drop her father's last name. This comes after Shiloh filed a petition in May to formally change her name from Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the name change was officially granted on Monday, August 19th. Shiloh's lawyer, Peter Levine, previously stated that 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."
Shiloh is thought to be the first of the Jolie-Pitt children to embark on the formal legal process to change their name. Her younger sisters Vivienne and Zahara have also recently dropped Pitt from their surnames, with Vivienne being listed as "Vivienne Jolie" in the program for her Broadway play, and Zahara introducing herself without her father's last name at a university sorority event.
The high-profile split between parents Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt has been mired in legal battles and acrimony since their 2016 separation. Court filings from Jolie's 2022 lawsuit against the FBI alleged that Pitt "choked one of the children and struck another in the face" and "poured beer on Jolie" during a confrontation on a private flight. Pitt has vehemently denied the claims.
In a further legal dispute, Pitt sued Jolie in 2021 over her "secret" sale of her shares in the family's French winery Chateau Miraval. Jolie's team recently issued a statement asking Pitt to end the ongoing battle so their family can "heal."
While Pitt has not publicly addressed his daughter's name change, a People magazine source said the actor was "aware and upset" by Shiloh's decision. However, the 18-year-old appears to be following in the footsteps of her siblings in asserting her independence from her famous father's name.
