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Fresh twist in Brad Pitt family drama as it emerges actor tried to stop estranged daughter from testifying in court

New details have emerged that reveal the depth of the rift between the Hollywood actor and his daughter, Shiloh.

Brad Pitt ‘heartbroken’ over daughter dropping last name

Fresh details have emerged about Brad Pitt’s drama with his daughter, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt.

According to new reports, Pitt allegedly objected to his and Angelina Jolie’s daughter Shiloh testifying on her custody arrangement preferences back in 2021.

Brad Pitt and Shiloh Jolie-Pitt have a strained relationship, with the 18-year-old trying to remove Pitt from her name last month. Picture: AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK.
Brad Pitt and Shiloh Jolie-Pitt have a strained relationship, with the 18-year-old trying to remove Pitt from her name last month. Picture: AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK.

A source told Us Weekly that Shiloh, now 18, was one of the kids who wanted to testify during a 2021 hearing. She was only 14 at the time, and therefore not an adult in the eyes of the law.

Despite Shiloh’s wishes, the judge ultimately sided with Pitt and awarded him joint custody. However, a court later agreed with Jolie’s appeal to remove the judge because he hadn’t shared his business relationships with Pitt’s lawyers.

According to the insider, it was around this time that Pitt’s bond with his daughter began to “shift”.

“She [used to be] very close with Brad and his family, but that relationship [changed] in recent years,” the source said.

The impact of the shift became clear last month, when it was confirmed that Shiloh filed paperwork to legally change her name on her 18th birthday. She requested to drop her father’s surname and, instead, go by her mother’s maiden one.

Pitt was reportedly left “devastated” by Shiloh’s choice to remove mention of him from her name.

It’s believed Angelina Jolie shares a much closer bond with the estranged couple’s children. Photo: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images.
It’s believed Angelina Jolie shares a much closer bond with the estranged couple’s children. Photo: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images.

“To him, it was more than a change of name — it was a symbol of a deeper estrangement that has been brewing for years,” an insider said.

It’s believed that Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh and twins Knox and Vivienne, 15, don’t “have much of a relationship” with their dad — who is “not ready to give up on them.”

Page Six reported over the weekend that the Fight Club star, 60, is hoping to “forge” a bond with the kids as they “get older and have a life of their own.”

A source close to the Emmy winner alleged to us that Jolie, 49, has used their brood “as a weapon against Brad” and “separated” them from her ex-husband amid their contentious legal battle.

The former couple separated in 2016 and were declared legally single three years later.

However, the Mr. and Mrs. Smith stars have since continued to butt heads over custody and their French winery.

While the exes rarely speak directly about their divorce, Jolie told Vogue in September 2023 that she and her children are still “healing.”

Originally published as Fresh twist in Brad Pitt family drama as it emerges actor tried to stop estranged daughter from testifying in court

Original URL: https://www.themercury.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/celebrity-kids/fresh-twist-in-brad-pitt-family-drama-as-it-emerges-actor-tried-to-stop-estranged-daughter-from-testifying-in-court/news-story/26fd48a7c721b1e3616ae54000bfc8bb