Angelina Jolie's 18-year-old daughter, Vivienne Marcheline, has revealed that she was hospitalised after developing an eating disorder. Vivienne is one of six children Jolie shares with ex-husband Brad Pitt, alongside Maddox Chivan (25), Pax Thien (22), Zahara Marley (21), Shiloh Nouvel (20), and Vivienne's twin, Knox Léon.
The teenage artist, who recently dropped her father's last name, shared her story at an exhibition in Los Angeles. Titled The Tulip Field, Vivienne's artwork was accompanied by an introduction in which she detailed her emotional struggles, including an eating disorder that left her feeling 'angry, sick and very alone' and resulted in her hospitalisation. The artwork depicted Vivienne and her fellow patients as tulips, sharing space and confiding in one another.
Vivienne's account of her hospital stay
In her introduction, Vivienne wrote: 'Welcome to the Tulip Field. Why is it called The Tulip Field, you ask? Like many, I have struggled with mental health. I have also struggled with an eating disorder.'
'At the beginning of this year, I was hospitalised for my ED. I was angry, sick, and very alone. Eventually, however, the kindness and warmth of the kids and staff at the hospital broke down the walls I had built so high.'
'It was the worst and best time of my life and I am better for it. The Tulip Field is what I call the hospital and the paintings here represent moments in time spent there.'
'Moments of hopelessness, moments I couldn't stop laughing, moments of safety, moments of bravery.'
'There are of course no photographs of our time at the Tulip Field so these are our memories, our purest memories, preserved.'
'The title of each painting is a sentence I took from journal entries I wrote during my time at the hospital, from passages I felt best fit the paintings. Thank you.'
Children's distancing from Brad Pitt
In the years since Jolie's split from Pitt, their children have distanced themselves from the actor. According to TMZ, Shiloh filed paperwork on her 18th birthday in 2024 to change her name to Shiloh Jolie, dropping Pitt from her last name.
A source told People that Pitt was 'aware and upset' by the decision, adding: 'He's never felt more joy than when she was born. He always wanted a daughter.' They continued: 'The reminders that he's lost his children, is of course not easy for Pitt. He loves his children and misses them. It's very sad.'
Earlier this year, Vivienne, Maddox and Zahara also set into motion procedures to legally change their last name. According to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Maddox and Zahara – both adopted by Jolie in Cambodia – published notices of their intentions in the Los Angeles Daily Journal, a required step under California's name-change procedure. During the same summer, Vivienne began work on changing her name, filing a petition in July before publishing a legal notice in the Los Angeles Daily Journal.
Background of the family estrangement
Pitt's estrangement from his children came in the wake of his bitter separation from Jolie, which began almost a decade ago. Their relationship is believed to have crumbled during a private plane journey from France to California, where Jolie accused her husband of becoming drunk and aggressive.
In court filings, Jolie alleged that the altercation started between him and one of his children, and she claimed that this escalated into a physical fight in which he poured wine and beer over his family. She also claimed that he grabbed her by the head, injured her back and elbow, choked one of their children, and struck another. Five days later, she filed for divorce, finally reaching a divorce settlement in December 2024.
The children have largely avoided speaking out about their father, save for a 2020 Father's Day message, allegedly written by Pax, in which he described Pitt as 'a world-class a**hole' and a 'terrible and despicable person.' He also accused Pitt of having 'no consideration or empathy' towards his younger children, claiming that they were frightened in his presence. Those inside Pitt's circle dismissed Pax's allegations as a 'depressing smear'.
Pitt denies all allegations of abuse, with his lawyer saying he has been subject to 'personal attacks and misrepresentations'. The FBI reportedly investigated allegations about the journey but did not take any action.
If you suspect you, a family member or friend has an eating disorder, contact Beat on 0808 801 0677 or at help@beateatingdisorders.org.uk, for information and advice on the best way to get appropriate treatment.
