Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt’s Children Have Clearly Picked A Side

This article includes mentions of Domestic and Family Violence and may be distressing for some readers. Helplines can be found at the close. 

You may have seen Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s names in the headlines recently, or more specifically, their surnames.  

This is because a fortnight ago, their eldest biological daughter Shiloh, legally petitioned to drop Pitt from her surname on the day of her 18th birthday.

While Shiloh is the first of her siblings to legally drop her father’s name, she’s not the only Jolie-Pitt kid who appears to have distanced themselves from the Pitt name. 

Last November, it was reported that Shiloh’s older sister Zahara (19) introduced herself during Spelman College’s esteemed Mu Pi Sorority ceremony as Zahara Marley Jolie. Shiloh’s younger sister, Vivenne (15), who has been assisting Angelina as she produces the Broadway adaptation of The Outsiders since April, has quietly changed her name on the playbill to Vivenne Jolie.  

Further to this, in a much less subtle way of distancing himself from his father, the now 20-year-old Pax Jolie-Pitt posted a story on his private Instagram account in 2020 on Father’s Day, labeling Brad a “world class asshole” and “a terrible and despicable person”. 

“You have no consideration or empathy toward your four youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence,” Pax ranted, concluding with, “You may tell yourself and the world whatever you want, but the truth will come to light someday.”

While Angelina and Brad have been forced to stay relatively tightlipped due to the intense legal proceedings stemming from their 2016 divorce (filed by Angelina), it’s become increasingly evident that the actions of their six children are speaking volumes. But with the Brangelina narrative so firmly cemented in the court of public opinion, will Angelina and her children’s alleged truth even matter? 

Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, Maddox Jolie-Pitt and Knox Jolie-Pitt attend the “The Eternals” UK Premiere in 2021. Image credit: Getty

In 2016, the world was shocked when Angelina ended her 12-year relationship with Brad and both the FBI and the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services confirmed they were investigating allegations of abuse levelled at Brad after an incident on the family’s private jet. 

An anonymous report alleged both physical and verbal abuse towards Angelina and their children, which were substantiated by Jolie’s legal team’s claims. The filed court documents detailed the incident in which the children were attempting to defend their mum and defuse the situation, noting “They were all frightened. Many were crying.” 

While the investigation was eventually dropped and Brad denied any physical abuse, there has been continuous legal tension between the exes in the ensuing years; including temporary custody agreements, documented child support disagreements and a messy fight over their shared French vineyard in which Angelina reiterated claims of abuse. However, concurrently to this, there’s been seemingly no fallout for Brad and his career.

In a post-MeToo era, it’s been both fascinating and frustrating to watch the Sexiest Man Alive continue to be lauded for his charm and talent. We’ve swooned over his interactions with ex-wife Jennifer Aniston. We were thrilled when he finally won an Academy Award for acting. We ogled him on red carpets and ate up his interviews where he detailed his sobriety journey and was sold to us as “likable, flawed, a little eccentric”.

If anything, it’s Angelina who has faced continuous backlash from her association with Brad. Since being labelled a “homewrecker” since her 2004 affair with Brad on the set of Mr and Mrs Smith, misogyny has followed her. Despite her remarkable philanthropic work and efforts to educate youth on their human rights (admittedly inspired by personal experiences), Angelina has been accused of retraumatizing her children by family law attorneys and parental alienation by “sources” and the public. Brad fans are even using comparisons of Angelina’s fractured relationship with her own father to imply these are Angelina’s issues, not Brad’s.

This isn’t about cancel culture, and I am not suggesting that we need any hateful hashtags accompanying Brad Pitt’s name, but I do think we need to use this divorce as a case study for just how powerful PR strategies and media narratives can be in preventing us from listening to women and children. Just because Hollywood has invested in their leading man, doesn’t mean we have to as well. 

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. You can also call safe steps 24/7 Family Violence Response Line on 1800 015 188 or visit www.safesteps.org.au for further information.

Written by Lil Friedmann. You can follow her at @lilfriedmann on socials.

Image credit: Getty + Punkee