Brad Pitt's kids Zahara and Maddox drop Pitt in newspaper ads
Brad Pitt's kids Zahara, 21, and Maddox, 24, published newspaper ads in the Los Angeles Daily Journal as a required step to legally drop Pitt from their last names, court documents obtained by Page Six show. The sibling notices are part of California's formal name-change process ahead of judge rulings. The move follows years in which several Jolie-Pitt children stopped using their father's surname in public before filing legal petitions.
Key Takeaways
- Zahara and Maddox ran four weekly notices in the Los Angeles Daily Journal through June and July 2026.
- California law requires newspaper publication before a judge can approve a legal name change.
- Zahara seeks to become Zahara Jolie; Maddox wants Maddox Chivan Jolie instead of Jolie-Pitt.
- Zahara has a Sept. 28 court hearing; anyone opposing must file written opposition beforehand.
- Several Jolie-Pitt children had already stopped using Pitt's surname before taking legal action.
Why did Zahara and Maddox take out newspaper ads?
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's kids Zahara and Maddox took out the ads as the next official step in dropping their father's last name, according to Page Six. Court documents the outlet obtained Monday show both siblings published their name-change petitions in the Los Angeles Daily Journal once a week for four consecutive weeks.
Publicly publishing a petition in a newspaper is one of California's required hurdles for a legal name change. The ads also notify the public that anyone opposing the change must submit written opposition before the final hearing.
When did their notices run in the newspaper?
Zahara's notice ran in the Los Angeles Daily Journal on June 16, June 23, June 30 and July 7, the filing states. Maddox's petition appeared in the same publication on June 10, June 17, June 24 and July 1.
The staggered schedules mean both siblings have now completed the publication requirement tied to their separate court filings. Page Six reported that Zahara legally requested her name be Zahara Jolie instead of Zahara Jolie-Pitt last month, while Maddox filed in May to change his name from Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt to Maddox Chivan Jolie, listing the reasons as personal.
How had they already distanced themselves from Pitt's surname?
Several of the former couple's children have opted out of using their father's last name before taking legal action. Zahara was announced as Zahara Marley Jolie when she graduated from Spelman College in May, omitting Pitt from her name on stage.
She had previously introduced herself without Pitt during her 2023 Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority induction. Maddox informally dropped the surname in February credits for his work on Jolie's movie Couture, Page Six noted in prior reporting cited in Monday's story.
What happens next in court?
Zahara now has a scheduled Sept. 28 court hearing for a judge to rule on her motion. If no one objects, the judge can approve the request.
The newspaper ads formalize a pattern that has drawn attention across the six Jolie-Pitt children as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's divorce aftermath continues to play out in public. For more updates on the family and similar stories, see our Celebrity Breaking News coverage.