Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s daughter Shiloh dropped dad’s last name after ‘painful events,’ lawyer says

Shiloh Jolie has legally changed her name — and her lawyer is explaining why the move was announced in the press.

Jolie, who is the daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, filed to drop her father’s last name from her own when she turned 18, and some outlets like TMZ erroneously reported that she took out an ad in the Los Angeles Times announcing her shortened surname. Now, her attorney Peter Levine is setting the record straight.

Angelina Jolie and Shiloh Jolie. 

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“Shiloh Jolie did not take out an “ad” announcing any name change, and any press reporting that is inaccurate," Levine said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. “As Shiloh’s attorney, I am required to publish a legal notice because the law in California requires that of anyone who wants to change their name. That legal notice was published in the Los Angeles Times, as is required.”

Levine went on to allude to personal challenges that his client has experienced, though did not go into detail. “The media should be more careful in their reporting, especially when covering a young adult who has made an independent and significant decision following painful events, and is merely following legal process,” he said.

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Indeed, the name change was announced in the Times, under a notice titled “Order to show cause for a change of name,” but Jolie and her attorney did not publicize the matter beyond the extent that is legally required.

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Brad Pitt. 

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The younger Jolie’s name change comes in the midst of her parents’ ongoing, contentious legal battle over their joint French winery, Château Miraval. After Angelina Jolie filed for divorce in 2019, Pitt sued her for allegedly attempting to sell her share of the business to a Russian billionaire after previously agreeing to let the Moneyball star buy it from her.

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Over the course of the winery case, Angelina Jolie’s lawyers have argued that as part of the business deal, Pitt attempted to “punish and control Angelina by demanding a newly expanded NDA” that would bar the Salt actress from publicly discussing her ex-husband’s alleged personal misconduct against her and their children. (Pitt’s team argued the NDA sought merely "to protect the reputation of the Miraval brand.")