Shiloh Jolie’s Removal of “Pitt” from Her Surname Was a “Significant Decision” That Happened After “Painful Events,” Her Attorney Says

Shiloh Jolie-Pitt — (Image credit: Getty Images)

A lawyer for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s daughter Shiloh is speaking out regarding the 18-year-old’s decision to drop “Pitt” from her surname, making her name Shiloh Jolie instead of Shiloh Jolie-Pitt. Shiloh filed to make this change on May 27—which marked her 18th birthday—and it was publicly announced with a legal notice in the Los Angeles Times shortly after. Peter Levine, Shiloh’s attorney, spoke out recently about Shiloh’s “significant decision,” and said it happened after “painful events,” per People.

“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.

Explaining the aforementioned process in more detail, Levine added that “Shiloh Jolie did not take out an ‘ad’ announcing any name change, and any press reporting that is inaccurate,” he said. “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.”

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A different legal expert recently told People that the public name change announcement in a newspaper “could not have been avoided” if the official name change process was to move forward. “She has to file a formal petition with the court to change her name,” David Glass, a California-based family law attorney, told the outlet. “And she has to run an ad four weeks in a row before the hearing is scheduled, in addition to giving both of her parents written notification.”

Brad Pitt and Shiloh Jolie-Pitt — Shiloh and her dad in 2014 at the premiere of "Unbroken."

Glass added that “These name change petitions usually run very smoothly and are granted, unless the person has a criminal history and is trying to get away from punishment or liabilities,” he said, noting that he has “never seen one opposed in court.” He continued that “Brad could come to court and say, for example, that Shiloh has been alienated against him by the mother—but because she is no longer a minor, she can essentially call herself whatever she wants,” Glass said.

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.