Sources exclusively told Us Weekly how Brad Pitt is coping as his children continue to side with their mom, Angelina Jolie, amid their …see more

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,” a source exclusively shared in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “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.

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].”
They’ve struggled to forgive and connect with Brad since the divorce,” the source explains. “Their mom is the head of the household, and she’s raised them with love and selflessness their whole lives. Once Brad left, it was very hard for them to see him go to war with her.”