Celebrity News
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s Kids Take Legal Action to Remove Father’s Last Name
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt‘s kids Maddox and Zahara are following after their sister Shiloh and taking legal action to take their father’s last name out of their own.
Last month, Maddox and Zahara took out ads in the Los Angeles Daily Journal every week in an attempt at petitioning to have “Pitt” taken off the end of their name. In the state of California, a public petition published in a newspaper is a mandatory step to a legal name change.
Maddox has taken his father’s surname off his own since he worked with his mother on the drama film Couture.
Supporting Angelina behind the scenes, Maddox took on a role as an assistant director. Upon the film’s premiere in French cinemas this past February, Maddox’s name was featured in the credits, albeit without his father’s surname Pitt.
Instead of being listed as Maddox Jolie-Pitt, he was credited as Maddox Jolie.
The alteration followed a similar decision made by his younger sister Shiloh, 19. On her 18th birthday in May 2024, she legally dropped “Pitt” from her last name and now goes by Shiloh Jolie.
Maddox’s full surname last appeared in a film’s credits in 2024 for the drama Maria, which featured his mother in the role of late opera singer Maria Callas. He served as a production assistant on the movie and was credited as Maddox Jolie-Pitt.
Maria‘s release came a few months prior to the finalization of Angelina and Brad’s divorce, which officially concluded in December 2024.
Their legal separation spanned eight years, complicated by financial disputes and custody arrangements.
Angelina initially held sole custody of their six children, but this arrangement shifted in 2021 when Pitt secured joint custody.
The actress is currently required to remain in Los Angeles due to the conditions of their divorce settlement. She explained to The Hollywood Reporter that the divorce agreement mandates she must “be here” for their twins, Knox and Vivienne.
She disclosed, “As soon as they’re 18, I’ll be able to leave.”
