Zahara and Maddox Take Out Newspaper Ads to Officially Drop Brad Pitt's Name

Jul 20, 2026 by apost team

For years, the children of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have been quietly — and then not so quietly — removing their father's surname from their lives. It started informally, in professional credits and social introductions. Then Shiloh made it official on her 18th birthday in May 2024, hiring her own lawyer and paying for the legal process herself. Vivienne followed, credited simply as "Vivienne Jolie" in the Playbill for the Broadway production of "The Outsiders." Knox reportedly began using the Jolie surname, including on his high school diploma. Maddox stopped using Pitt in professional contexts, most visibly when he was credited as assistant director on Jolie's film "Couture" under the name Maddox Jolie.

Now, two of the oldest children have taken the legal process a step further — and chosen to do it in public.

Court documents obtained by Page Six show that Zahara, 21, and Maddox, 24, both published petitions in the Los Angeles Daily Journal to formally remove Pitt from their legal names. Under California law, publishing such a notice in a newspaper for four consecutive weeks is a required step before a judge can approve a name change petition. Zahara's notice ran on June 16, June 23, June 30, and July 7. Maddox's notices ran on June 10, June 17, June 24, and July 1. Zahara has a court hearing scheduled for September 28. Maddox is scheduled for September 14. If no one files a written objection, a judge can approve both requests.

Zahara is asking to be legally known as Zahara Marley Jolie — the name she was introduced under at her Spelman College graduation in May 2026. Maddox is asking to be legally known as Maddox Chivan Jolie.

The steps are procedural. The message has never been louder.

A source cited by PEOPLE noted that Pitt has "virtually no contact" with his children. Pitt, born Dec. 18, 1963, has not commented publicly on his children's name change proceedings. His most recent public appearance alongside one of his children was at the Formula One film premiere for "F1" in June 2026 — notably, none of his six children attended.

Pitt and Jolie, born June 4, 1975, separated in September 2016. Their divorce was finalized in 2024 after years of legal battles over their Château Miraval winery in France — a dispute still ongoing in civil courts. They share six children: Maddox, adopted from Cambodia in 2002; Zahara, adopted from Ethiopia in 2005; Pax, adopted from Vietnam in 2007; Shiloh, born in Namibia in 2006; and twins Knox and Vivienne, born in France in 2008.

Of the six, Pax is the only one whose situation is more complicated — Page Six reported in June 2026 that while Pax does not use Pitt in a professional capacity, he maintains some contact with members of Brad's extended family, "even if things are still tense between him and his father."

Knox, the youngest son, has not yet been reported to have filed formal legal name change papers — though he has reportedly been using the Jolie surname informally, including on his high school diploma.

The Jolie children began distancing themselves from their father's name one by one, over years, without fanfare. The newspaper ads changed that. This was not a quiet step — it was a public declaration, filed in the courts and published in print, for four consecutive weeks in a row.

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Do you think the Jolie children's decision to drop Brad Pitt's name is something the public should weigh in on? Do you think it reflects a deeper family fracture that may never heal? Let us know in the comments and pass this on to your family, friends, and anyone following this story.