Mark Ruffalo has rejected accusations that he is “antisemitic” for opposing Hollywood studio Paramount Skydance’s executives’ ties to the Israeli government.

“The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest,” Ruffalo, 58, wrote via X on Saturday, August 22. “Criticizing the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract, or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticizing Jewish people. This critical and necessary dialogue is then dishonestly framed as being anti-Israel.”

The Spider-Man: Brand New Day actor stressed, “To be clear, my views come from my own political convictions and should never be interpreted as hostility toward Jewish people, for whom I have deep love and respect. Everything I know about acting, activism, and humanism has been profoundly shaped by the Jewish friends, colleagues, and loved ones who have been integral and family throughout every point of my life.”

Ruffalo has been a vocal opponent of Paramount Skydance’s proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros since the deal was announced in February. Paramount Skydance chairman David Ellison is the son of Oracle cofounder and prominent Donald Trump ally Larry Ellison. (David, 43, and Larry, 82, became co-owners of Paramount Skydance following a 2025 merger.)

Related: Adam Brody, Mark Ruffalo and More Male Celebrities Who Are Proud Feminists

Listen up, fellas! Mark Ruffalo, Ryan Gosling and more of Hollywood’s leading men have staunchly supported their female colleagues and utilized their platforms to speak out in celebration of feminism and gender equality. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Enter your email Please enter a valid email. Subscribe By signing up, I […]

The latest controversy started when Ruffalo condemned a clip of Safra Catz — Oracle’s executive vice chair and a Paramount board member — recently speaking about “profoundly scary technologies” that Oracle shared with the Israeli government following the October 7 terror attacks in 2023.

Paramount Skydance responded to Ruffalo with a statement that invoked accusations of antisemitism.

“We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute,” a Paramount spokesperson said in a statement on Friday, August 21. “Words like ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid,’ applied to a corporate transaction, aren’t just wrong — they’re a bridge too far, and they cheapen the very real suffering those words are meant to describe. This doesn’t deserve a response in kind — and to be clear, we don’t tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone.”

The company went on to say, “We understand people feel strongly about this merger and are hopeful and expect that it will be judged based on the legal merits, not underlying bias. We’re asking for the same good faith we’re extending: less rhetoric, more understanding. Paramount’s future is being written for everyone who wants to make and watch great stories.”

In light of those accusations, Ruffalo drew attention to what he warned would be “real consequences” for people across the country if Paramount Skydance is allowed to buy Warner Bros.

“This merger has real consequences for real people, and for the entire country. Scrutinizing the Ellisons, including Oracle’s business built on data, surveillance technology and government contracts, and the serious threat to editorial freedom and the loss of a livelihood for thousands of families, is fair and necessary,” he wrote on Saturday. “The $111 billion deal would hand one family control over CNN, HBO and Warner Bros., backed in part by foreign money whose influence on editorial decisions has never been fully explained to the public.”

The Emmy Award-winning actor called for more transparency from government regulators before the Warner Bros acquisition is allowed to move forward.

“Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for serious national security review, and regulators still haven’t given the public a real answer,” he claimed. “Until they do, the merger shouldn’t move forward. Now is the time to dive boldly into all these issues, not step back or concede.”

Ruffalo was among dozens of Hollywood actors and filmmakers to sign an open letter of “unequivocal opposition” to the Paramount-WB union in April.

“We are deeply concerned by indications of support for this merger that prioritize the interests of a small group of powerful stakeholders over the broader public good. The integrity, independence, and diversity of our industry would be grievously compromised,” the creatives wrote in their open letter. “Competition is essential for a healthy economy and a healthy democracy. So is thoughtful regulation and enforcement. Media consolidation has already weakened one of America’s most vital global industries — one that has long shaped culture and connected people around the world.”

Paramount Skydance recently announced that its potential acquisition of Warner Bros will not close until June 1, 2027, to allow more time for a regulatory review.

Related: ‘13 Going on 30’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo have remained firmly in the spotlight since starring in the 2004 romantic comedy 13 Going on 30, but even the most diehard fans might need an update on other members of the cast. The Alias alum played Jenna Rink, a 13-year-old girl who traveled to the future to see what […]

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Long before this current dispute with Paramount, Ruffalo has been passionately outspoken about his political opposition to the Trump administration.

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He exclusively told Us in January that he would “never say never” to potentially running for office in the future.

“I mean, I spent a lot of time in that world, and acting — it’s for the people,” Ruffalo argued. “So, I love the people and politicians could be doing something good for the people.”

Asked about the current political landscape in the U.S., Ruffalo told Us, “It’s bulls***. And the people in America are suffering. If the people in America weren’t suffering, we wouldn’t be where we are right now. You know, it’s a failure on both parties. They become completely captured by corporations, both parties. And it’s time for a new America that is for the working people who were the plurality of this country.”

Of all the award-winning actors to still be active in Hollywood, Mark Wahlberg has had one of the poorest runs of recent projects. Of his 15 feature-length projects since 2020, only two have earned a positive average score on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The likes of director Mel Gibson‘s action thriller Flight Risk, the Prime Video original heist thriller Play Dirty, the action sequel The Family Plan 2, and the disastrous soccer comedy Balls Up all faced enormous backlash from both critics and audiences.

Among the dark clouds in Wahlberg’s filmography, there have been a couple of small shining lights. The best of these came in 2024, when Wahlberg starred in Arthur the King, based on Mikael Lindnord‘s 2016 memoir Arthur – The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home. Telling the story of an extreme racer who adopts a dog to join him on his breathless adventures, this heartwarming story earned a strong critical reception, although it fell just short commercially with a $32 million box office haul against a budget of $19 million.

Wahlberg stars in the movie as Michael Light, based on Lindnord, and is joined by the likes of Simu Liu, Juliet Rylance, and even famous TV survivalist Bear Grylls ​​​​​​as himself. Wahlberg is the highlight of the movie, called “a talented leading man with the right material,” in Nate Richard‘s review for Collider, with many considering it his best role of the decade so far. Over two years since it first debuted, Arthur the King is a quiet hit again, officially ranking as one of the ten most-streamed movies on Netflix in the U.S. at the time of writing.

What Is Mark Wahlberg Making Next?

Hoping to put an end to his poor run, Wahlberg’s next release sees him team up with the likes of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Giancarlo Esposito, Nicole Beharie, David Strathairn, Josh Lucas, and Ethan Embry in the crime thriller By Any Means, which recently debuted its trailer. Following that, Wahlberg will star in another crime thriller titled The Big Fix, which also features the hugely talented Riz Ahmed, as well as the sports comedy Weekend Warriors, which is reportedly in post-production.

Arthur the King is streaming now. Stay tuned to Collider for the latest streaming stories.

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Release Date

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March 15, 2024

Runtime

107 Minutes

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Director

Simon Cellan Jones

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Sugar Hill and The Five Heartbeats star Michael Wright has died. He was 70.

“It is with profound sadness and an unimaginable heaviness in my heart that I share the passing of my beloved husband, Michael Wright,” Michael’s wife, Susan Wright, wrote in an Instagram statement shared Friday, August 21, announcing the actor’s death. “Michael was a husband, a father, a grandfather, loved one, a friend and an extraordinary artist whose work touched generations.”

Susan continued, “Many knew and loved him through The Five Heartbeats, The Wanderers, V, The Principal, Streamers, and the many other characters he brought to life throughout his remarkable career. His talent, presence and contributions to film and television will live on, but to those of us who loved him personally, he was so much more than the roles the world knew him for. Our family is grieving an enormous and deeply personal loss.”

In addition to Susan, Michael is survived by his five kids and one grandchild.

Related: Celebrity Deaths of 2026

Hollywood mourned the deaths of some of its most legendary stars in 2026. In June, legendary music executive Clive Davis also died at age 94 following a hospitalization for an upper respiratory infection. The following month, G.R.L. member Lauren Bennett died at age 37, while Bonnie Tyler died at 75. Emergency!‘s Randolph Mantooth and Police […]

“We understand how much Michael meant to so many people, and we are grateful for the love, prayers, memories and condolences already being shared,” Susan continued in her statement. “We respectfully ask the public, members of the media and those who knew and admired Michael to please allow our family the privacy and grace to grieve during this incredibly difficult time.”

She concluded, “Michael, your work will live forever, but your love will live even longer in the hearts of those who knew you best. Rest peacefully, my love. You will be missed beyond words.”

TMZ reported on Saturday, August 22, that Michael died after suffering heart failure and complications of Marchiafava-Bignami disease, a rare degenerative neurological condition.

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Michael’s family has not further disclosed his apparent diagnosis, which the National Institute of Health characterizes as a rare disorder defined by necrosis of brain tissue.

Michael is best known for roles in Sugar Hill, The Five Heartbeats, The Principal, V, Streamers, Dope King and two episodes of The CW’s Black Lightning.

“The greatest sin an actor can commit, is to fail to be interesting. I always try to make my characters interesting. I want you to be riveted and wonder what’s going on behind my eyes,” he told Sheen magazine in 2021. “You work from the general, you know, to the specific, then you go moment for moment, beat for beat and try to imbue everything with true and honest emotional content if you will.”

Hayden Panettiere’s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, has revealed what she claims she told authorities at the scene of her daughter’s death after the late actress was found unresponsive from an apparent drug overdose.

“[The officer] said to me, ‘Well, what do you think about Brian Hickerson?’ And I said, ‘I think he’s culpable,’” Vogel, 70, told the Daily Mail in an extensive interview published on Saturday, August 22, alleging that her daughter’s on-again, off-again boyfriend played some type of role in her untimely death.

Us has reached out to Hickerson, 37, for comment.

Panettiere died on Sunday, August 16, after she was found unresponsive at a residence in South Carolina by Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson. Emergency services arrived at the scene to perform “advanced cardiac life support measures,” but the actress was pronounced dead that afternoon. Narcan, a life-saving over-the-counter medication that can reverse the effects of a drug overdose, was reportedly found at the scene.

Related: Hayden Panettiere’s Mom Says Narcotics Investigator Joined Death Investigation

Hayden Panettiere‘s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, gave an update on the investigation into her daughter’s sudden death. Vogel, 70, told NBC News on Wednesday, August 19, that she was informed that law enforcement is investigating the circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s death. She claimed that a narcotics investigator has joined the case. Vogel said she is unsure […]

An autopsy was completed and found “no signs of trauma that would have contributed” to Panettiere’s death, per the coroner’s office. The cause and manner of her death “remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies.”

While speaking out in the wake of the actress’ death, Zach claimed he and his brother tried to save the actress’ life the night she died.

“There are a lot of assumptions, speculations and accusations currently swirling,” Zach told TMZ on Friday, August 21. “The truth will come out as the authorities complete and release additional details from the investigation. And that is important because the people who loved and adored Hayden deserve the truth.”

He continued, “When we went in and tried to wake Hayden up for lunch, we realized she was unconscious. I immediately called 911, and Brian gave her Narcan. We then jointly performed CPR while 911 was on speaker until Fire and EMS arrived. At that point, we watched as they tried every measure possible to save her life.”

Zach told the outlet that he is “beyond heartbroken and devastated” by Hayden’s death.

“Hayden was one of my dearest and closest friends that I loved and cared about for the last eight years,” he concluded. “Out of respect for her loved ones, the speculation and sensationalism of her death needs to end until the facts can be released from the investigation.”

The New York Times reported on Thursday, August 20, that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was investigating Panettiere’s death.

While speaking to the Daily Mail, the actress’ mom shared her doubts about Zach’s claims and the alleged timeline of events that ultimately led to her daughter’s death.

“I think there will be a discrepancy in the timeline, meaning Brian had to go out and buy the Narcan while he left her there because I do not believe he happened to have two bottles of Narcan on him, like he carried them around in his back pocket,” she alleged. “When the EMTs came it was for a cardiac arrest. People in cardiac arrest aren’t just lying still. They make noise.”

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She further claimed, “I think Brian called his brother. My opinion. I think he knew she was deceased.”

Us has reached out to Brian on multiple occasions for comment on Vogel’s many claims regarding his alleged contribution to her daughter’s death but have not heard back.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady offered public support for player Ed Oliver after the defensive tackle’s 2-year-old son, also named Ed, died after reportedly drowning in the family’s pool.

“I’m a parent and, ever since I found out the news [about the toddler’s death], I can’t fathom what he’s going through,” Brady, 36, told reporters during a press conference on Saturday, August 22. “There’s really not words to describe [the situation] in those moments. As a coach, as a father, it’s my job to be what he needs from me, right now.”

Brady — who shares two children with his wife, Lauren — stressed that he wanted to give Oliver, 28, “the privacy he deserves” as he continues to mourn the loss of his son.

“Whatever [mourning] looks like, however someone might want to handle it, it’s however he wants us to handle it,” Brody noted. “Look, he’s not here right now [at Saturday’s preseason game] because of an injury and dealing with that. This [tragedy] isn’t the reason he’s not here.”

He went on to say, “It’s hard. It’s hard whenever I see him. I can’t imagine it and I haven’t had the words since. I don’t really have the words 1787469368 but all I can do is just be there for him in whatever way he needs.”

Bills general manager, Brandon Beane, announced that Oliver’s son had recently died earlier on Saturday, sharing public “condolences” on behalf of the NFL franchise.

“On behalf of the entire Buffalo Bills organization, we want to publicly express our condolences to Ed Oliver and his family on the devastating loss of his son,” Beane, 50, said in a statement. “It’s an unthinkable tragedy for any parent.”

The Bills GM added, “We will continue to support Ed and his family as we all grieve this loss.”

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed that officers responded to “an in-progress life-in-danger call” at Oliver’s Texas home on June 28. Once first responders arrived on the scene, they were told that the 2-year-old child was found “unresponsive in the pool” by his parents. (ESPN and TMZ were first to report the news.)

The toddler was transferred to a local Houston, Texas, hospital where he was subsequently pronounced dead at 7:18 pm, per officials. Oliver was not directly named in the Harris County Sheriff’s Office’s statement.

Us has reached out to the sheriff’s office for comment.

ESPN reported that the Bills organization has been “aware of the incident since it occurred” and that the team was “aligned” with Oliver in terms of sharing condolences.

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Oliver has been participating in training camp activities with the Bills this summer but was held out of the team’s preseason game against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday due to a “minor injury,” according to ESPN. (The Bills beat the Browns, 31-7.)

The tackle has spent his entire professional career playing with the Bills, after being picked ninth overall in the 2019 NFL Draft by the organization. Prior to that, he was a standout college player for the University of Houston Cougars from 2016 to 2018, during which time he won the prestigious Bill Willis Trophy in his freshman year.

Oliver also shares a daughter, Eva, with his partner Dymond Gladney.

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In September 2025, Oliver opened up during a press conference about the way becoming a father impacted him on and off the field.

“I really attest a lot of my maturity and just my growth to my kids,” Oliver said at the time. “Having kids and having to be the head of a household and a leader and trying to guide them you know that that’s kind of then trickled over into football. Then, I got [to] become more patient and more, I guess, [observant] and paying attention to different things. … I don’t know what specifically they do, but they got a weird way of making you grow up real fast.”

For more vital, life-saving information on pool safety, see Bode Miller’s tips and visit Coverstar’s website.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has broken his silence following the drowning death of his teammate Ed Oliver’s 2-year-old son, also named Ed.

“First off, I want to say thank you to the ones that knew about it, and allowed him to have his moment and his time. It’s very sad,” Allen, 30, told reporters during a press conference on Saturday, August 22. “And, you know how it came out — it makes me very, very sad and angry at the same time.

The Buffalo Bills organization publicly announced the death of Oliver’s son on Saturday after multiple sports influencers speculated about the tragedy on social media in recent days. Multiple NFL insiders confirmed they were aware of the toddler’s death but held off reporting it out of respect for Oliver,28, and his family.”

Allen — who welcomed his first child, daughter Harper, with wife Hailee Steinfeld in April — shared his displeasure over the “very unfortunate” way the news was leaked.

“As a teammate of [Ed] and as someone in this locker room, all we can do is love on him,” he added. “There’s nothing that you can say to make the situation any better but except being there for him in whatever ways he needs. And that’s what we’re going to continue to do. That’s what teammates do. We love up on each other and try to hold each other up when we’re down. I can’t imagine what he’s going through.”

Per the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, officers responded to “an in-progress life-in-danger call” at Oliver’s Texas home on June 28 and were told that the 2-year-old child was found “unresponsive in the pool” by his parents. (ESPN and TMZ were first to report the news.)

The toddler was transferred to a local Houston, Texas, hospital where he was pronounced dead at 7:18 pm, officials said. Oliver was not directly named in the Harris County Sheriff’s Office’s statement.

Us has reached out to the sheriff’s office for comment.

“There’s nothing you can say. There’s nothing that you can do,” Allen said on Saturday. “You have to look at someone in a situation like that. [They feel] what they feel and do what they need to do. His teammates, that’s what we’ve been doing, is giving him his space and time. But at the same time, being around him, loving up on him. Not trying to do anything to reopen that. We understand that a lot of guys in the locker room knew, especially on the D-line. He spent a lot of time with those guys and everyone [is] just rallying around him. And again, he’s not here right now. Not because of [the tragedy].”

The QB went on to say, “Just guys being around him and putting their hand on him and not having to say too much. So, he’s got your back. Let’s play football. Again, I think guys are very cognizant of the fact of what he’s going through, how he’s feeling, what he’s feeling. We’re just there for him in any way that he needs us.”

The Bills organization has been “aware of the [death of Oliver’s son] since it occurred” and was “aligned” with the defensive tackle in terms of publicly sharing condolences, per ESPN.

Despite the personal tragedy, Oliver has been participating in training camp activities with the Bills this summer. He was held out of the team’s preseason game against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday due to a “minor injury,” according to ESPN. (The Bills were victorious over the Browns, 31-7.)

Earlier on Saturday, the Buffalo Bills publicly offered their “condolences” to Oliver and his family in their time of mourning.

“On behalf of the entire Buffalo Bills organization, we want to publicly express our condolences to Ed Oliver and his family on the devastating loss of his son,” the team’s general manager, Brandon Beane, said in a statement. “It’s an unthinkable tragedy for any parent.”

He added, “We will continue to support Ed and his family as we all grieve this loss.”

Bills head coach Joe Brady said during a press conference on Saturday that he couldn’t “fathom” the pain Oliver and his family must be enduring.

“Whatever [mourning] looks like, however someone might want to handle it, it’s however he wants us to handle it,” Brody, 36, told reporters. “Look, he’s not here right now [at Saturday’s preseason game] because of an injury and dealing with that. This [tragedy] isn’t the reason he’s not here.”

He continued, “It’s hard. It’s hard whenever I see him. I can’t imagine it and I haven’t had the words since. I don’t really have the words 1787468525 but all I can do is just be there for him in whatever way he needs.”

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Oliver has spent his entire NFL career with the Bills, having been picked ninth overall by the team during the 2019 NFL Draft. He played for the University of Houston Cougars in college.

The athlete also shares a daughter, Eva, with his partner Dymond Gladney.

For more vital, life-saving information on pool safety, see Bode Miller’s tips and visit Coverstar’s website.

Kids from the ’90s are still making memes about how fun it was to get back home from school and play the immersive and acrobatic Prince of Persia games. The wall-walking, time manipulation, and combat mechanics of Sands of Time, in particular, became a defining baseline for several bigger Ubisoft games that later came. And now, thanks to GOG (formerly Good Old Games), those same kids can once again play the game on PC, and it plays better than it ever did.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake, after being in development for several years, was recently canceled in January 2026. GOG’s announcement comes just in time to lend a straw of hope for troubled fans. The platform has modernized the flagship Prince of Persia installment with native widescreen/ultrawide support, an in-game overlay with an FPS limiter, and a custom lightweight wrapper for modern PC compatibility.

Although fans shouldn’t become too optimistic about the gameplay and graphics, GOG has still given Prince of Persia: Sands of Time a much-needed facelift and continued technical support. Version 181 GOG v2 has made sure the game now fits modern resolutions without merely stretching the graphics, automatically adjusts the field of view, and lets users adjust frame rate limits, among other things. Not to mention that the Sands of Time face-lift is now also Windows 11 verified. The best part? Sands of Time is currently available to buy for just $2.99 up until August 23, at a roughly 70% discount from its original $9.99 price.

‘Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time’ Doesn’t Include Any Design or Environmental Upgrades

While this update puts Sands of Time ahead of most old DRM-free games that require several workarounds to play on new hardware, this version does not have any new character models, visual overhauls, redesigned environments, or combat changes. The menu itself, by design, had to be kept in its original 4:3 design just so there wouldn’t be any interface bugs. The new release, therefore, is more of a preservation take on the biggest game in the franchise instead of a new material rollout.

And while the Sands of Time Remake was canceled because of time and money investment concerns, Ubisoft hasn’t abandoned the franchise. At the same time, there is currently no known major Prince of Persia game actively in development since the remake was shelved.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is now available to buy from GOG at $2.99 up until August 23. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s daughter, Vivienne, has gone the extra mile to ensure there is no doubt about her desire to completely erase the actor from her life.

The 18-year-old took out a newspaper ad announcing that she has officially dropped Pitt’s name from hers amid their estrangement.

Pitt recently revealed that he has gone back to drinking in a more responsible way, following a tumultuous past couple of years that saw him divorce ex-wife Angelina Jolie and also get dragged into a public court battle over their joint winery.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s daughter Vivienne Jolie has taken a major procedural step toward permanently shedding her father’s surname.

According to legal documents obtained by Page Six, the teenager recently published an official public notice in the Los Angeles Daily Journal to announce her intent to drop “Pitt” from her legal name.

She did that once a week for four consecutive weeks, from July 24 through August 14.

In the petition, she requested that anyone who opposes her filing come forward with written opposition before the final hearing.

The published ad provides a public window for anyone wishing to object to the petition before the final court hearing, currently scheduled for November 2. A judge is then expected to finalize the request if no one objects to the move.

Vivienne’s New Name Pays Tribute To Her Maternal Grandmother

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According to the news outlet, the petition requests a formal change from Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt to simply Vivienne Marcheline Jolie and lists the reason for the change as “personal.”

The middle name “Marcheline” pays tribute to her maternal grandmother, Marcheline Bertrand, who passed away in 2007.

Taking out a newspaper advertisement to announce a name change isn’t just a dramatic move on Vivienne’s end, but a mandatory part of California law.

To foster transparency and prevent fraud or debt evasion, the state requires individuals petitioning for a name change to publish a public notice.

• Pitt is said to be “hurt” about his children’s name changes and growing distance.
• Pitt made a painful admission about “family stuff” amid his rift with kids.
• Pitt’s return to drinking has left some of his Alcoholics Anonymous pals worried.
• The actor is reportedly lacking “respect” from his kids, as he’s seen as the “villain.”
• The “F1” actor warned that his image is at risk as Jolie pursues a “complete cutting of ties” with him and their kids.
• Jolie reportedly “tried to warn people” about him before his sobriety ended.

Most Of Pitt’s Other Kids Have Also Dropped His Name

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Vivienne’s decision comes after hints that she was distancing herself from the “Bullet Train” actor’s surname professionally.

In 2024, while working alongside her mom on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “The Outsiders,” she was simply credited in the Playbill as “Vivienne Jolie.”

Pitt and Jolie share six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Vivienne, but he has remained estranged from most of them, with some also moving to drop his name.

Shiloh officially removed “Pitt” from her name in 2024 after turning 18, hiring and paying for her own legal counsel to manage the paperwork. Zahara and Maddox have both filed petitions to legally shed their surnames.

Pitt’s Family Rift Follows Explosive 2016 Abuse Allegations

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The actor’s estrangement from his family follows a 2016 private jet incident where he allegedly abused the “Maleficent” actress and their children.

Jolie alleged he was drunk when he attacked them, accusing him of grabbing her by the hair and also verbally abusing them on that flight from France to Los Angeles.

According to the BBC, the actress noted that the incident was what prompted her decision to file for divorce at the time, but Pitt denied the allegations.

The incident was investigated by the FBI, but no charges were pressed against him.

Pitt Is Back Drinking Again After Seven Years Of Sobriety

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Pitt recently admitted that he has relapsed into drinking again after seven years of sobriety. However, he’s responsible about it and knows when to stop.

“This is a very personal decision that’s unique to Brad and his own circumstances,” a source told Page Six, adding that he’s had “a lot of time to reflect” on his relationship with alcohol.

“Over time, his life changed, and he reached a point where he felt comfortable making a different choice,” the insider continued. “For him, that means moderation and being very conscious of his limits.”

“He knows what those limits are and understands that drinking in moderation requires a level of discipline and self-awareness,” they continued, adding that Pitt’s decision “doesn’t take away from the years he spent sober or what he learned during that time.”

The source added, “This is simply the decision he feels is right for him at this point in his life, and he’s committed to being responsible about it.”