Pax Jolie-Pitt Is the Last of the Clan to Keep His Dad’s Last Name

Since Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt in 2016—a divorce that was finalized in 2024 after a bitter legal battle—the couple’s six children have gradually distanced themselves from their father, appearing instead firmly by their mother’s side at public events. The most recent instance was last weekend, when Pax and Shiloh were photographed playing pickleball with Angelina Jolie during a charity event, the Support+Feed Pickleball Invitational and Game Night, in Los Angeles. And while all the children have now cut ties with Brad Pitt, Pax, now 23, remains the only one still in contact with his paternal relatives and who has kept his double surname.

Over the years, he hasn’t held back from making very direct comments about his father. In 2023, he called him “a despicable person” who “made the lives of those close to me a living hell,” yet he chose not to completely cut ties. As a source revealed to Page Six: “Pax still has a relationship with his dad’s side of the family and continues to spend time with them,” adding that he recently joined the family for a dinner to celebrate his cousin Sydney’s engagement to Archimedes Jerome. According to an insider, Brad’s sister, Julie Pitt Neal, also attended the gathering, along with his niece Reagan Pitt and other close family members. Although he has decided to keep ties with his paternal relatives, it seems that his relationship with Pitt himself remains complicated. A second source told the magazine, Pax “doesn’t have a great relationship with Brad.”

Meanwhile, all of Pax’s siblings have chosen to publicly distance themselves from their father by dropping the Pitt surname. Zahara first, then Shiloh, and, recently, Maddox filed paperwork to officially drop the surname, appearing as Maddox Jolie in the credits of the film Couture, where he worked as an assistant director alongside his mother. Even the youngest children, Knox and Vivienne, have appeared in public using only their mother’s last name.

Speaking with Variety in an interview published a few days ago to mark the release of Couture, Jolie spoke about the crucial role her children played in helping her cope with the divorce. “I think my fighting spirit is finally back,” she says. “I lost it for a bit. I got kind of taken down a little bit and it’s coming back in large part thanks to my children, who are now older, and encouraging it.”

“My kids are almost all 18, so now they want to see me traveling the world, they want me to get out and do things,” says Jolie, adding “They know me more than anybody, and they still like me, which says a lot.”

This article was originally published in Vanity Fair Italy