The actress found herself at the centre of renewed attention as two of her children moved to legally drop Brad Pitt’s surname.Image credit (Instagram)
Angelina Jolie has been targeted by an anonymous claim about her Hollywood reputation as two of her adult children advance legal proceedings to remove Brad Pitt’s surname from their names. The development comes as the former couple’s extended legal disputes continue years after their separation.According to a Daily Mail column published on July 19, an unidentified person described as a Hollywood source made the sweeping claim about Jolie’s current standing in the entertainment industry. “People hate her,” the source said, though the column did not name any specific actors, filmmakers, studio executives or other industry figures who supposedly share that assessment of the actress and filmmaker.
The actress has returned to the spotlight as two of her adult children seek to legally remove Brad Pitt’s surname.Image credit (Instagram)
Maddox Chivan Jolie and Zahara Marley Jolie’s pending name-change petitionsAccording to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, two of Jolie and Pitt’s adult children have filed petitions to legally modify their surnames. Maddox is requesting to change his legal name from Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt to Maddox Chivan Jolie. Zahara is seeking the name Zahara Marley Jolie. A hearing to consider Maddox’s petition is scheduled for September 14, while Zahara’s petition will be considered on September 28.
Zahara has filed a petition to legally remove Brad Pitt’s surname, joining her siblings in publicly using the name Jolie.Image credit (Instagram)
Both have already completed the required step of having notice of their proposed changes published in the Los Angeles Daily Journal. Maddox’s proof of publication was recorded on July 7, with Zahara’s following on July 9. Neither adult child has described the petitions that way or publicly explained the personal reasons behind the requests.Both children had publicly used versions of their requested names before filing the legal petitions. Maddox was credited as Maddox Jolie for his work as an assistant director on his mother’s film ‘Couture’. Zahara was introduced as Zahara Marley Jolie when she graduated from a historically Black college in May, after previously using the same name during her sorority induction.
Shiloh Nouvel Jolie’s completed name-change process
One of Jolie and Pitt’s children has already completed the legal process of removing Pitt’s surname. Shiloh filed to become Shiloh Nouvel Jolie on her 18th birthday in May 2024. A Los Angeles judge approved the petition that August, making her the first of the former couple’s children publicly known to complete the legal process of formally changing her name.Another child was credited as Vivienne Jolie in the program for a Broadway production on which she worked with her mother. However, no public court record has confirmed that the professional credit reflected a legal name change.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s divorce history and ongoing disputes
Jolie filed for separation in September 2016 following an incident on a family flight. She later alleged that Pitt physically assaulted her and two of their children during that incident. Pitt denied the allegations, and federal authorities did not file criminal charges following their review.
Fresh attention has turned to the former couple as legal petitions involving their children’s surnames continue to make headlines years after their divorce.Image credit (Instagarm)
The former couple were declared legally single in 2019, with their divorce settlement finalised in December 2024. However, separate litigation between the two over their jointly owned French vineyard has continued beyond the resolution of their primary divorce proceedings.Jolie continues to work as an actor, director and producer. Her representatives have not responded to the column or suggested that she directed her children’s legal petitions. Go to Source
