Brad Pitt Faces Fresh Humiliation as Kids Zahara and Maddox Buy Newspaper Ads to Officially Drop Famous Dad's Last Name
Brad Pitt's children are distancing themselves from his family name.
July 13 2026, Updated 5:35 p.m. ET
Brad Pitt's kids are making another move to distance themselves from their father.
Zahara and Maddox Jolie-Pitt filed to drop "Pitt" from their names, leaving only an honorific last name for their mother, Angelina Jolie. The pair recently advertised the change in the Los Angeles Daily Journal to fulfill a legal requirement, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Zahara and Maddox Required by Court to Place Ad
All but one of his kids have taken steps to drop his last name.
Zahara and Maddox are required by the court to run a notice in the newspaper every week for four consecutive weeks to allow time for someone to object.
According to court documents, Zahara's notice ran on June 16, June 23, June 30 and July 7, fulfilling the requirements. Her next court hearing is on September 28, and anyone objecting to the change has until then to file their objection.
Maddox's ran June 10, June 17, June 24 and July 1.
With no objections, the judge can use their discretion to approve the request.
Kids Previously Dropped Names Informally
Some of Pitt and Jolie's children made informal choices rather than legal ones.
Both Zahara and Maddox have previously dropped the Pitt name in more informal capacities.
Zahara went by the surname Jolie while joining her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., and when graduating from Spellman College.
Maddox notably ditched the Pitt name in the closing credits for his mom's movie, Couture.
Angelina Jolie Assumed Custody After Split
Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in 2016.
Pitt's relationship with the children is complicated, especially after he split from Jolie in 2016 and finalized their divorce in 2024.
Before even dating Pitt, Jolie was the adoptive mother to Maddox. She similarly adopted Zahara independently of her relationship with Pitt.
However, the actor later adopted both of the children in a more formal capacity. Additionally, Jolie and Pitt confirmed the actress was pregnant Shiloh in 2006. Pax was adopted by the couple in 2007, and in 2008, Jolie gave birth to twins, Knox and Vivienne.
When they split, Jolie assumed primary physical custody of her children. The divorce was first filed in 2016.
At the time, a legal representative for Jolie said, "This decision was made for the health of the family. She will not be commenting, and asks that the family be given its privacy at this time."
Pitt 'Crushed' by Children's Choices
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Pitt has not yet publicly commented on the name changes.
Zahara and Maddox are not the first in the family to make similar moves. Shiloh changed her surname in 2024 after she turned 18.
Knox has not filed for a legal name adjustment, but he did drop "Pitt" from his surname on his high school diploma. However, he continues to use the "Jolie-Pitt," at least publicly.
As for Vivienne, she used only "Jolie" when credited for her work on The Outsiders.
Pitt has yet to comment on his children's choices. However, according to Heat magazine, the actor is "absolutely crushed."
"It's the definition of soul-destroying and almost impossible for him to comprehend," an insider added. "Brad’s been leaning on Ines a lot during all of this, and she’s done a magnificent job of helping him to hang tough, keep the faith and focus in the meantime on the many positives that he still has in his life."
