As Brad Pitt's custody battle ends with twins Knox and Vivienne turning 18, here's what his children have said about their estrangement and dropping the 'Pitt' surname.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleThe legal fallout between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie has been in the spotlight for years, not just for their divorce but also for the increasingly public estrangement between Pitt and their six children. The latest development closes another chapter, as Brad has officially lost legal custody of his children after the former couple's youngest twins, Knox and Vivienne, turned 18.
The twins became official adults earlier this week (July 12, 2026), officially ending the court-ordered custody arrangement. But the emotional distance between Pitt and his children continues to make headlines. Over the years, multiple members of the Jolie-Pitt family have publicly or legally distanced themselves from the actor, with several dropping "Pitt" from their names.
Pitt and Jolie, who announced their separation in 2016 after two years of marriage and more than a decade together, share six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne. Although the pair finalized their divorce settlement in December 2024, custody issues remained unresolved in the public eye because Knox and Vivienne were still minors. Now that the twins have reached adulthood, no custody agreement remains in effect.
The milestone marks the formal end of one of Hollywood's longest-running family legal battles. In recent years, several of Pitt's children have legally stopped using his surname.
In 2024, shortly after turning 18, Shiloh legally changed her name to Shiloh Jolie. Though Vivienne was still under legal custody of her father, her name was credited as Vivienne Jolie in the Playbill for the Broadway productions of The Outsiders.
Most recently, Maddox and Zahara began the legal process of removing "Pitt" from their names. Both published the required notices in the Los Angeles Daily Journal ahead of court hearings scheduled for September 2026. If approved, they will officially become Maddox Chivan Jolie and Zahara Marley Jolie.
The clearest public insight into the fractured family dynamic came from Pax, who, in a Father's Day Instagram post that resurfaced in 2023, called Pitt a "world-class a**hole" and accused him of making his younger siblings "tremble in fear." While Pitt never publicly responded to the post, it fueled speculation that the estrangement extended across all six children.
Shiloh has never spoken publicly about her relationship with her father, but her attorney said her decision to remove "Pitt" from her surname followed "painful events." Angelina herself has largely refrained from discussing the children's relationship with Pitt in detail, instead maintaining that her focus has always been their well-being and healing following the family's separation.
The family rift between Brad and Angelina began with their highly publicized separation in 2016, just days after an alleged incident on a private plane. What followed was one of the longest-running legal battles in Hollywood, with disputes over custody of their six children, division of assets and the ongoing battle over their shared Château Miraval vineyard. Their divorce was finalised in 2024, but the emotional and legal fallout has continued to make headlines.
Angelina alleged Pitt became physically abusive toward her and one of their children during the flight, with Brad allegedly choking one kid and striking another who tried to intervene. When the FBI and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services investigated the incident, Pitt denied any wrongdoing and was never charged, nor was any criminal action taken. However, it did create lasting tensions within the family.
Some family insiders had also suggested that the children spent much of their teenage years watching their parents engaged in lengthy legal conflicts. Dropping the Pitt surname has reportedly become an important way for them to create personal boundaries.
While the F1 star never directly addressed the estrangement with his children, reports suggest he had a hard time seeing them drop his last name. An insider told Us Weekly in May 2026 that Pitt has not given up hope of rebuilding relationships with his children.
"He feels most hurt out of everything that happened with Angie that his children don't want a public association with his last name," the insider said. "It's been very difficult. (Brad) still does hope and keeps the door open to eventual reconciliation, hopefully with all of them, but it is their decision. He has no power, and he can't force them."
For now, however, with Knox and Vivienne officially adults, Brad Pitt's custody battle has ended, and Angelina is reportedly "ready" for the next chapter.
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