Shiloh Jolie Drops Brad Pitt Name After Painful Events

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s daughter Shiloh’s lawyer has spoken out for the first time about her “important” decision to drop “Pitt” from her last name.

It was reported this weekend that Shiloh had placed an ad in the Los Angeles Times stating that she had requested to change her name from “Shiloh Jolie-Pitt” to “Shiloh Jolie.”

According to previous reports, Shiloh first filed for a name change on her 18th birthday, May 27. The LA Times’ notice was the next step in the legal process, where — under California law — the petitioner must have legal forms published in a newspaper for a month before a judge can approve the request.

Now, amid speculation surrounding the newspaper article, Shiloh’s attorney, Peter Levine, has released a statement clearing up any confusion about how she handled the process.

“The media should be more careful in their reporting,” the lawyer said, “especially when covering a young adult who has made an independent and important decision following painful events, and is simply following the legal process.”

Levine’s mention of the “painful events” that led to Shiloh’s decision comes amid speculation that she and her five siblings — Maddox, 22; Pax, 20; Zahara, 19; and twins Knox and Vivienne, 16 — are largely estranged from their father following his split from Angelina in 2016.

Their divorce is still ongoing, and Angelina’s initial request to end the marriage in September 2016 was reportedly prompted by an alleged incident on a private jet in which Brad was accused of physically abusing Maddox, then 15.

Although Shiloh is the first of her sisters to file a legal request to change her name, her sisters, Zahara and Vivienne, have also publicly omitted “Pitt” from their last names on separate occasions.

Earlier this month, People reported that Brad has “virtually no contact” with his adult children and “has visitation rights with the younger children” under a custody agreement with Angelina. He is also reportedly “aware and upset” that Shiloh has asked to change her name.