Zahara and Maddox Jolie-Pitt have formally petitioned to remove their father's surname. Their requests were published in a legal journal, with court hearings scheduled for September. The move follows years of family tension.
Two of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s children, Zahara and Maddox, have taken formal legal steps in Los Angeles to remove their father’s surname, intensifying the ongoing family split that began after the couple’s separation in 2016. According to documents cited by Page Six, both Zahara, 21, and Maddox, 24, published official petitions in the Los Angeles Daily Journal, a required step under California law for a legal name change.
The filings reveal that Zahara’s notice appeared in the Daily Journal on four consecutive Sundays—June 16, June 23, June 30, and July 7—while Maddox’s petition was published on June 10, June 17, June 24, and July 1. The public notices invite any objections to be submitted in writing before the scheduled court hearings. Zahara’s hearing is set for September 28, where a judge will decide on her request if no opposition is filed. Maddox’s case follows a similar timeline.
This legal process comes after both siblings had already begun distancing themselves from the Pitt surname in public and professional contexts. Zahara was announced as Zahara Marley Jolie at her college graduation in May, omitting her father’s name. Maddox, who first stopped using Pitt on non-legal documents in 2021, listed his reason for the change as “personal” and was credited as Maddox Chivan Jolie in the recent film “Couture,” directed by his mother.
The Jolie-Pitt family, once a high-profile Hollywood unit, has seen increasing separation among its six children—Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne—since the parents’ contentious split. Shiloh, the couple’s third child, was the first to legally remove Pitt from her surname upon turning 18 in 2024. Reports indicate that all six children have gradually distanced themselves from Brad Pitt in the years following the divorce.
Publishing a name change petition in a widely circulated legal journal is a standard requirement in California, designed to allow for public objections before a judge makes a final decision. If no objections are raised, the court typically grants the request. The current legal actions by Zahara and Maddox mark the latest chapter in a family dispute that has played out both in courtrooms and the public eye.
For context, California law mandates that anyone seeking a legal name change must publish notice of their petition in a newspaper of general circulation for four consecutive weeks. This process ensures transparency and gives interested parties the opportunity to contest the change. The Jolie-Pitt case has drawn attention not only due to the family’s celebrity status but also because it highlights the legal and emotional complexities that can arise in high-profile separations. While the outcome of the September hearings remains to be seen, the siblings’ actions underscore the lasting impact of family disputes on personal identity and legal documentation.
