A Brutal Blow for Brad

As Brad Pitt's children continue to side with their mom, Angelina Jolie, amid their ongoing divorce battle, sources weigh in on how the actor is coping and his hopes for the future

- JAIME HARKIN

On her 18th birthday in late May, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's daughter Shiloh Jolie-Pitt submitted a petition to the Los Angeles court to have her father's last name removed from her surname. According to an insider close to the matter, reports that Shiloh hired - and paid for her own lawyer to handle her case are true. "Brad was devastated by this choice," says a source. "To him, it was more than a change of name - it was a symbol of a deeper estrangement that has been brewing for years."

It's the third time one of Brad's children has publicly denounced his last name. Last November, Shiloh's older sister, Zahara, 19, introduced herself as Zahara Marley Jolie at a sorority initiation ceremony at Spelman College, and in May, Brad and Angelina's youngest daughter, Vivienne, was credited as Vivienne Jolie in the playbill for the Broadway musical The Outsiders, which the 15-year-old coproduced with her mom. Brad, 60, and Angelina, 49 - who split in September 2016 - also share Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, and Vivienne's twin brother, Knox.

By all appearances, it seems all six of the A-list exes' children have sided with their mom as the two stars continue to battle it out in court over custody issues and their French winery, Château Miraval. "Sadly, Brad doesn't have much of a relationship with his kids," says a second source.

"He's not ready to give up on them, but knowing they are dropping his name is upsetting." Adds a third source: "Brad's putting on a brave face, but behind closed doors, he's finding it extremely difficult to come to terms with [what's happening]."

LOSING GROUND