It wasn’t exactly a Father’s Day to remember for Brad Pitt. On June 16, his daughter Vivienne was celebrating nearly 3,000 miles from L.A. with her mom, Angelina Jolie, at the 77th annual Tony Awards in NYC.
The snub came on the heels of Brad’s other daughter Shiloh filing legal paperwork on May 27 — her 18th birthday — to have his last name officially removed from her surname (Vivienne, 15, and sister Zahara, 19, have also dropped “Pitt”).
It seems the 60-year-old is the biggest casualty in his epic divorce and custody battle with Angelina, 49. Now a source tells In Touch the Bullet Train star is ready to call a truce with his ex in a desperate attempt to repair his relationship with his kids. (The exes — who split in 2016 — also share Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, and Knox, 15.)
Angelina Jolie and her daughter Vivienne Jolie
“Never in a million years did Brad imagine this yearslong fight and rivalry,” says the source of the two, who are also currently wrangling over the sale of her share of their winery Château Miraval. “He’s willing to throw his hands up and surrender.”
There’s no question Brad’s relationship with his children is frayed. Around the same time Shiloh dropped “Pitt” from her name, Vivienne was reportedly credited as Vivienne Jolie in the Playbill for the Broadway musical The Outsiders, which she coproduced with her mom.
In November 2023, Zahara introduced herself as Zahara Marley Jolie at a sorority initiation ceremony at Spelman College. On Father’s Day in 2020, Pax allegedly called the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star a “world class a–hole” in an Instagram post. And in 2021, Maddox testified against his dad in the custody dispute following an alleged physical altercation on a private plane.
Says the source: “The kids’ dropping Brad’s name is just the tip of the iceberg.”
He regrets prioritizing his war with their mom. “Brad spent a lot of time and money trying to do what he thought was the right thing for his kids, but now he’s wondering if it was worth it,” says the source, noting that the big reason he wants to keep Miraval is to pass it down to the children. “Miraval was something for the kids to have and build on when he’s gone, but if they don’t want it, it’s a moot point.”
Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and their six children Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne
Now, says the source, “Brad is saying there will be no more demands for NDAs.”
Waving a white flag may be Brad’s only hope for a relationship with his kids. “He’s sorry for everything that went down, and he knows he wasn’t a model husband or dad during the time they were together.” Now sober, adds the source, “he is a better person.”
He’s giving the kids space, for now. “Brad knows he can’t force the issue and he can’t make his children want to see him,” continues the source. “It has to be on their terms, but he’ll be there when they’re ready.”