A decade after one of Hollywood’s most bitter divorces began, Angelina Jolie has finally achieved a “complete cutting of ties” with ex-husband Brad Pitt.
With the former couple’s youngest children now 18, the last legal thread connecting Jolie and Pitt has effectively been severed, a family law expert explained to Fox News Digital. The expert argued the Oscar winner has reached the outcome she had been seeking since filing for divorce in 2016.
“For those that followed the Pitt/Jolie divorce since 2016, it should be no surprise that Angelina Jolie is finally able to achieve what she attempted to get in the 2016 divorce — a complete cutting of ties between the children and Brad Pitt,” Holly Davis, cofounder of Kirker Davis LLP, told Fox News Digital.
BRAD PITT FACES FRESH FAMILY BLOW AS DAUGHTER CLEARS MAJOR HURDLE TO DROP HIS LAST NAME
Pitt and Jolie share six children: Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh, Pax, Knox and Vivienne.
Twins Knox and Vivienne reaching adulthood on July 12 means custody issues are no longer before the court, giving Jolie the freedom to make decisions that previously required court oversight.
“Because she was unable to achieve this result in the parties’ divorce, she had to wait until the youngest children were 18 to be able to do the things that the court would not allow her to do,” Davis explained.
What ultimately drove the children’s estrangement from their father remains impossible to know from the outside, according to Davis.
“Whether or not she influenced them in hating their father based on the legitimate problems in her romantic relationship with Brad, or whether they all suffered similar difficult moments as a family which lead to their decision to no longer see him, will be anyone’s guess,” the family attorney said.
Jolie and Pitt’s daughter Vivienne is seeking to remove “Pitt” legally from her last name — from Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie — just over a week after turning 18, according to People magazine.
The petition was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, with the reason for the name change noted as “personal,” per the outlet, with the hearing scheduled for November 2.
Two years prior, Vivienne worked on the Broadway play “The Outsiders” with mom Angelina, and was credited as “Vivienne Jolie” in the playbill. Vivienne worked as a producer assistant on the musical while Angelina served as a producer.
Jolie may have effectively severed the remaining legal family ties, but experts say the public fallout might not significantly damage Pitt’s Hollywood standing.
“Brandwise, it’s not that big of a hit to Brad Pitt’s name or brand,” entertainment attorney Tre Lovell told Fox News Digital. “He’s such a universally well-known star, and his divorce with Angelina Jolie and strained relationship with his kids have been well publicized.”
“Most of the public would chalk it up to an unfortunate problem with the relationship with his kids, but as far as his brand, it’s still strong and would survive any type of criticism in this area,” the lawyer for Los Angeles-based Lovell Firm explained.
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Five of Pitt and Jolie’s children have distanced themselves from the actor by dropping his surname, with Vivienne and three of her siblings choosing to make the change official legally.
“[Pitt’s] talent remains unquestioned. But when multiple adult children publicly choose to stop using your surname, the conversation inevitably shifts from career to character,” crisis communications expert Kaivan Shroff told Fox News Digital. “Whether fair or unfair, that’s the kind of narrative no amount of good publicity can easily overcome.”
Zahara filed to formally remove “Pitt” from her surname in June. If granted, her legal name will change from Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt to Zahara Marley Jolie. Her name change follows Shiloh’s name change in 2024. Maddox also reportedly filed a petition in May.
“This isn’t about a single family decision…it’s about accumulation,” he added. “One child dropping a famous last name might be dismissed as an isolated event. When it happens repeatedly across multiple adult children, it stops looking like celebrity gossip and starts becoming part of a public figure’s legacy.”
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The public’s reaction to the family drama, however, remains open to interpretation. While some experts believe the repeated rejection of Pitt’s surname could become part of his public legacy, others contend the developments may instead generate sympathy for the Oscar-winning actor.
“One of the primary things that parents should focus on in a divorce is the well-being of the child, and that often means striving for the child to have a healthy relationship with both parents,” Jordan Matthews told Fox News Digital.
The entertainment attorney for Los Angeles-based Holtz Matthews LLP argued that while the decision to drop Pitt’s last name was “highly personal,” it is likely to leave many members of the public “sympathetic to Pitt’s position.”
