Two of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's children, Zahara and Maddox Jolie-Pitt, have taken legal steps to formally remove 'Pitt' from their surnames. Court documents obtained by multiple outlets confirm the filings, which were published in the Los Angeles Daily Journal between June and July. Zahara's petition seeks to change her name from Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt to Zahara Marley Jolie, with a hearing scheduled for September 28. Maddox's petition aims to change his name from Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt to Maddox Chivan Jolie, with a hearing set for September 14. Both notices invite objections, but none have been recorded as of now.
Zahara previously dropped the 'Pitt' surname when she joined Spelman College in 2021, introducing herself as Zahara Marley Jolie. Shiloh and Vivienne, two of the couple's other children, have also stopped using Pitt's last name. The filings come amid reports of strained relationships between Pitt and his children following the couple's 2016 divorce. A private judge ruled in 2021 that Pitt and Jolie would share custody of their six children equally. All the children are now over 18 years old.