Brad Pitt's Feelings About Shiloh Dropping His Last Name Don't Actually Matter
How Brad feels about Shiloh's decision is irrelevant.
Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock On May 27, 2024, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s daughter, Shiloh, turned 18, marking the occasion by filing court documents to change her full name from the hyphenated “Shiloh Jolie-Pitt” to “Shiloh Jolie.”
There’s been much speculation about what the teen’s name change could mean and whether it signals some form of inner turmoil or a desire to distance herself from her father.
No matter what the undertones of her decision are, what’s important is that the change holds meaning for her and her only.
Brad Pitt’s feelings about Shiloh dropping his last name don’t actually matter.
According to People Magazine, a source close to Pitt divulged the 60-year-old actor’s emotions about his daughter’s newly chosen last name.
The source stated that Pitt is “aware and upset that Shiloh dropped his last name,” yet his personal sadness shouldn’t be a factor in how his daughter lives her own life.”
“He’s never felt more joy than when she was born,” the source said. “He always wanted a daughter.”
The source’s statement, if true, is problematic in many ways. Children don’t exist to make their parents happy or fulfilled, and believing that they do puts immense pressure on kids to perform, to be perfect, and to set aside their own emotional needs to care for their parents.
The source continued to wax poetic on Pitt’s inner landscape, saying that “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.”
Pitt and Jolie, 48, have six children together: Maddox, 22; Zahara, 19; Shiloh, newly 18; Pax, 20; and Knox and Vivienne, both 15.
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In 2016, Jolie filed for divorce and sole physical custody of their children.
Shiloh apparently isn’t the only one in her family who's carving out space away from Pitt.
15-year-old Vivienne also seems to have dropped the last name “Pitt,” as she was listed solely as “Vivienne Jolie” in the Playbill for the Broadway show “The Outsiders,” which her mother helped produce.
In 2020, Pax posted a scathing Father’s Day message aimed at Pitt on his private Instagram account, writing, "You time and time and again prove yourself to be a terrible and despicable person."
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"You have no consideration or empathy toward your four youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence," he continued in his caption.
Yet another source close to the actor maintained that Pitt “Still loves all of his kids tremendously.”
“This whole process has been very hard for the whole family,” they stated.
It’s not about Brad Pitt’s emotions. It’s about Shiloh’s own emotional well-being.
Shiloh’s name change holds power. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if her father is disappointed, or feels distanced, or hurt that she’s decided to stop using the name he bestowed upon her.
In placing his own emotional reaction at the center of the family conflict, Pitt essentially makes the issue about his needs and not the needs of his kids.
When parents overlay their feelings of hurt and betrayal onto their children, they make those feelings their kids’ responsibility without taking accountability for their behavior or the ways they’ve possibly harmed the young people they brought into the world.
Various studies report that 27% of people are estranged from their parents.
It’s valuable to note that when estrangement occurs between adult children and their parents, it’s not a decision that’s made lightly.
From an outside perspective, what seems like a rash, harsh decision comes with much deliberation and pain. Even if going no-contact is the right choice for a child’s own healing, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to do.
No one but Shiloh herself knows what’s really happening between her and her father, and that’s entirely hers to keep private. A supportive public should offer her peace, as that seems to be what she’s seeking for herself, and that’s what matters most.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture, and all things to do with the entertainment industry.