Two more of Brad Pitt’s kids want to ditch his surname
Brad Pitt’s Eldest Children Pursue Legal Name Changes Without His Surname
Legal Filings Signal New Chapter for Hollywood Family
Two more of Brad Pitt s kids – Two of Brad Pitt’s grown children have formally petitioned courts in California to legally remove their father’s surname from their identities. According to official court documents, Maddox, who is 24 years old, and Zahara, age 21, are both requesting to have Pitt eliminated from their legal names. The siblings have cited personal motivations for their decision to make this change.
This development represents another significant moment in the long-running separation between Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The former Hollywood power couple initiated their split approximately ten years ago and have maintained various legal disputes ever since. While they officially concluded their divorce proceedings at the close of 2024, conflicts continue regarding Château Miraval, the French vineyard property they previously shared ownership of.
Court Process and Timeline
In electronic submissions to the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles during the previous month, Zahara requested to transition her name from Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt to simply Zahara Marley Jolie. Maddox submitted a similar petition toward the conclusion of May, seeking to eliminate Pitt from his double-barreled family designation.
Meeting legal requirements, both siblings published advertisements in the Los Angeles Daily Journal on a weekly basis throughout June and July, spanning four consecutive weeks. This public notice period allows any individuals wishing to contest the proposed name changes an opportunity to file objections. Should no objections surface, judicial decisions are anticipated for both cases. Maddox’s name alteration is expected to receive a ruling around mid-September, whereas Zahara’s matter will likely be resolved by month’s end.
CNN has contacted representatives affiliated with Pitt regarding these developments. However, representatives for both Zahara and Maddox remained unavailable for comment at the time of reporting.
Background on the Hollywood Couple’s Relationship
Pitt and Jolie exchanged vows in 2014 and subsequently filed for divorce in 2016. Together they have six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and the twins Knox and Vivienne. Their family dynamics have been under public scrutiny for years, particularly following events that occurred during a private jet flight from France to the United States in September 2016.
Details regarding this incident came to light in August 2022 when an FBI report, heavily redacted but provided to CNN by a source, disclosed that Jolie had accused Pitt of both physical assault and verbal mistreatment of their children while aboard the aircraft. Pitt became the subject of an investigation connected to these allegations but was neither arrested nor formally charged, according to an FBI statement issued at that time.
“Brad has accepted responsibility for what he did but will not for things he didn’t do.”
Jolie initiated divorce proceedings shortly after the 2016 incident. In an October 2022 countersuit related to their winery legal matter, Jolie claimed that Pitt “choked one of the children and struck another in the face” during the flight incident. Pitt’s representative responded to these allegations with the statement quoted above.
Previous Name Changes Within the Family
Jolie, who had previously utilized the double-barreled surname, officially removed Pitt from her name in 2019 following a court decision that formally dissolved their marriage. Other children have also pursued similar changes. Vivienne reportedly adopted the name Vivienne Jolie for the playbill of “The Outsiders,” the Tony Award-winning musical she co-produced with her mother in 2024. That same year, Shiloh submitted a petition to legally eliminate Pitt from her surname as well.
These ongoing name changes reflect the evolving relationships within the Pitt-Jolie family as each member establishes their individual identity following the dissolution of their parents’ marriage. The legal process for Maddox and Zahara’s requests follows the same path taken by their siblings and mother, demonstrating a consistent pattern of personal choice in how they wish to be identified moving forward.