A decade after their high-profile separation began, Angelina Jolie has achieved a complete severance of legal ties with Brad Pitt as their youngest children turn 18, according to family law experts. Meanwhile, Pitt has sparked debate in addiction treatment circles by revealing he has ended seven years of sobriety and resumed moderate drinking.
Ten years after one of the most acrimonious divorces in Hollywood history commenced, Angelina Jolie has finally achieved a complete cutting of ties with her ex-husband. With the former couple’s youngest children reaching adulthood, the last legal threads connecting the two actors have effectively dissolved, clearing away the final custody matters that once required court oversight.
Legal Threshold Reached as Twins Turn 18
Twins Knox and Vivienne turned 18 on July 12, marking a definitive shift in the protracted legal saga between Jolie and Pitt. Because custody and related issues are no longer before the court, Jolie holds the freedom to make decisions that previously required court oversight, according to family law expert Holly Davis, cofounder of Kirker Davis LLP.
Davis explained that because Jolie could not secure this total separation during the initial 2016 divorce proceedings, she essentially had to wait until the youngest children reached adulthood to execute actions the court would not previously permit. The underlying reasons driving the children’s estrangement from their father remain complex and difficult to assess from the outside, with legal observers noting that public perception is divided over family dynamics.
Surname Changes and Ongoing Family Distance
The legal distancing extends beyond court dockets and into official naming records. Five of the former couple’s six children have distanced themselves from Pitt by dropping his surname, with several taking formal legal steps to alter their names.
Daughter Vivienne filed a petition in Los Angeles County Superior Court to legally remove “Pitt” from her last name, shifting from Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie just over a week after her 18th birthday. The petition cited personal reasons, with a hearing scheduled for November 2. Two years prior, Vivienne worked as a producer assistant on the Broadway play The Outsiders
alongside her mother, receiving credit in the playbill simply as Vivienne Jolie.
Other siblings have made similar moves. Zahara filed to formally remove Pitt from her surname in June, while Shiloh initiated a name change in 2024, and Maddox reportedly filed a petition in May.
Character Questions Versus Hollywood Stardom
While the family divide has entered a distinct new chapter, experts remain divided on whether the ongoing estrangement will affect Pitt’s professional standing in the entertainment industry. Entertainment attorney Tre Lovell noted that brandwise, it is not that big of a hit to Brad Pitt’s name or brand, pointing out that his extensive career and past marital disputes are already thoroughly digested by the public.
However, crisis communications expert Kaivan Shroff offered a contrasting perspective, emphasizing that the accumulation of multiple adult children publicly rejecting a surname shifts public discourse from professional talent to personal character. Shroff observed that this isn’t about a single family decision… it’s about accumulation, suggesting that narrative weight can prove difficult to counter with standard publicity.
A New Cover Story Revives the Sobriety Debate
Simultaneously, Pitt has drawn intense scrutiny outside the courtroom by revealing in a cover story for Esquire magazine that he is no longer completely sober. The 62-year-old actor stated that after maintaining sobriety for seven years, he is back off the wagon and drinking in a more restrained manner.
Pitt first opened up about his struggles with substance abuse following his acrimonious 2016 split from Jolie. At that time, Jolie filed for divorce after accusing him in court documents of drinking too much on a private plane returning from Europe in September 2016, during which he allegedly abused her and their six children. In subsequent years, Pitt spoke openly about joining a 12-step community, attending Alcoholics Anonymous men’s groups, and receiving support from friends like Bradley Cooper.
During his interview at his Los Angeles home, Pitt explained to writer Ryan D’Agostino that he believes he can manage consumption in moderation, noting that he can have a few drinks but cannot have a lot, adding that he feels he must remain professional about it. The admission quickly ignited widespread debate across social media and recovery forums regarding whether individuals with past severe alcohol problems can safely return to moderate drinking or if abstinence remains the only viable path.
