Shiloh started the process in May and reportedly “hired her own lawyer” without informing her mother, Angelina Jolie.
Brad Pitt is reportedly aware of Shiloh’s decision and is “upset” because it’s a reminder of the deepening rift between him and his six children.
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Shiloh Jolie-Pitt’s Name Change Hearing Gets Postponed
Shiloh’s hearing to remove Pitt from her last name has been postponed because of a court clerical error. She began the legal move on May 27, her 18th birthday.
Her attorney, Peter Levine, spoke to People Magazine about the slight delay in the name change process, noting that no “background check” was conducted before the filing.
He said, “Unfortunately, the court was unable to complete the background check ahead of today’s hearing, so the hearing was rescheduled for August 19. Everyone undergoing a name-change request needs to have a background check conducted by the court clerk, and because of clerical error, Shiloh’s hearing has been continued to a new date.”
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Shiloh is one of six children born to Jolie and Pitt. The former couple separated in 2016 and have been embroiled in a messy divorce battle ever since.
Pitt and Jolie are also the parents to Maddox, Zahara, Pax, and twins Knox and Vivienne.
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Shiloh Jolie-Pitt Started The Name Change Process By Herself
Earlier this month, Shiloh published a statement in the Los Angeles Times declaring her intention to change her legal name from “Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt” to “Shiloh Nouvel Jolie.”
The publication was done in compliance with California law that mandates it before a judge can approve the name change petition. Once the intent is published, the name change request will be displayed in the legal notice section of the paper.
A source told the Daily Mail that Shiloh made the decision on her own. They noted that she “hired her own lawyer and paid for it herself, so Angie doesn’t know and can’t speak for it.”
The source also confirmed that the name change is “connected to the abuse history or the violation of Shiloh’s victims rights.”
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This “violation” is a reference to Jolie’s accusations of physical and verbal abuse by Pitt against her and their kids during a private jet flight in 2016.
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Shiloh Made An ‘Independent’ Decision To Drop Her Father’s Name
Since news of Shiloh’s name change made headlines, speculations have swirled about why she chose to drop her father’s name. Many claimed that it was due to her strained relationship with him after his divorce from Jolie.
Her lawyer, Levine, echoed these sentiments, sharing in an interview with People that Shiloh chose to make the petition “following painful events.”
However, for those who may have believed that Jolie influenced her teenager to make the change, that seems not to be the case.
“The media should be more careful in their reporting,” Levine told the news outlet. “Especially when covering a young adult who has made an independent and significant decision following painful events and is merely following legal process.”
Brad Pitt Is Upset About His Daughter’s Name Change
In June this year, a source close to Pitt confirmed to People that he was aware of Shiloh’s decision to drop his last name and was “upset” about it.
They said, “The reminders that he’s lost his children, is of course not easy for Brad. He loves his children and misses them. It’s very sad.”
Another source close to the family said that Pitt has “virtually no contact” with his adult children. Even the younger kids only have “limited visits” with their father due to his extremely busy schedule.
Pitt is currently filming abroad, working on his upcoming racing film, “F1.”
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Other Jolie-Pitt Kids Have Also Dropped Their Father’s Last Name
Shiloh is just the latest of Pitt and Jolie’s kids to drop their father’s last name, choosing to stick with their mom’s maiden name of “Jolie.”
Her sister, Vivienne, used only Jolie as her last name in the playbill for the Broadway play “The Outsiders.”
Vivienne, who worked alongside her producer mother, was listed as “Vivienne Jolie,” but it remains unclear if she has legally changed her last name.
Another daughter, Zahara, also used only Jolie during her introduction to the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Spelman College six months ago.
At the time, Zahara chose to be introduced as “Zahara Marley Jolie.” In 2021, US Weekly also reported that their brother Maddox no longer uses Pitt “on documents that aren’t legal and instead uses Jolie.”