Two of Brad Pitt’s children, Zahara and Maddox, have taken formal legal steps to remove “Pitt” from their surnames, according to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail. Notices confirming their petitions were published in the Los Angeles Daily Journal throughout June and July, as part of a legal process required under California law before a name change can be finalised.
Zahara’s notice states: “Petitioner Zahara Marley Joley-Pitt filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt to Zahara Marley Jolie.” A similar notice was filed on behalf of her brother, reading: “Petitioner Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt to Maddox Chivan Jolie.” Both notices invite anyone wishing to contest the change to attend a scheduled hearing, with Maddox’s hearing set for 14 September and Zahara’s for 28 September.
Why the notices were published
Under California law, a public notice must be published before most legal name-change petitions can proceed, which explains why both filings appeared in the Los Angeles Daily Journal ahead of their respective hearings. Assuming no objections are raised, a judge is expected to consider each petition separately in September, after which the changes could be formally approved.
Not the first sign of distance from ‘Pitt’
Zahara has used the surname “Jolie” publicly for several years already, including when she was introduced during her induction into the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Spelman College three years ago. Maddox is reported to have used “Jolie” in some private and professional settings previously, though this marks the first time he has formally pursued the change through the courts. They are not the only siblings to have distanced themselves from the Pitt name: Shiloh and Vivienne have also stopped using it publicly, though it remains unclear whether Pax has done the same. Several of the children have dropped the surname informally without yet pursuing a legal name change.
A source previously told TMZ that Pitt believes Jolie has been keeping the children from seeing him, while people close to Jolie have maintained that the children are making these decisions independently. Pitt has previously spoken of his sadness over his growing estrangement from some of his children.
A relationship that once defined Hollywood
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt met on the set of 2005 film Mr & Mrs Smith and quickly became one of Hollywood’s most closely watched couples. They married in a secret ceremony in the South of France in August 2014, having already had three biological children together: Shiloh, born in 2006, and twins Vivienne and Knox, born in 2008. The couple also adopted Zahara and Pax, while Pitt legally adopted Maddox, whom Jolie had adopted prior to their relationship.
Allegations, denials and a lengthy legal battle
Jolie filed for divorce in 2016. She later alleged that during a dispute, Pitt had choked one child and struck another in the face, leaving her and the children feeling like “hostages” as they huddled under a blanket in fear. She also claimed he grabbed her by the head, slammed her against a wall and shook her violently, resulting in injuries to her back and elbow. A representative for Pitt initially told CNN that Jolie’s account was “completely untrue,” before issuing an amended statement that read: “Angelina’s story continues to evolve each time she tells it. Brad has accepted responsibility for what he did but will not for things he didn’t do. He has been on the receiving end of every type of personal attack and misrepresentation. Thankfully, the various public authorities she has tried to use against him over the past six years have made their own independent decisions. Brad will continue to respond in court as he has consistently done.”
Since their split, Pitt and Jolie have been locked in one of Hollywood’s most closely followed legal battles, spanning custody of their six children as well as their former French winery, Château Miraval. In May 2021, after years of court proceedings, the pair were granted joint custody of their children, only for that ruling to be overturned a month later. The latest name-change filings arrive years after their divorce was finalised, with disputes between the former couple over custody and the winery having continued in the years since.
