The real reason Brad Pitt’s children are only now officially dropping his last name

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have officially reached the end of one of the biggest chapters in their years-long divorce, as their youngest children, Knox and Vivienne, have now turned 18.

The twins becoming legal adults means any custody arrangements between Brad and Angelina are now over. It also gives Angelina the freedom to leave Los Angeles, something she previously said she had been unable to do because of the terms of their divorce.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2024, Angelina explained: “I am here because I have to be here from a divorce, but as soon as they’re 18, I’ll be able to leave.”

She added that once all of her children are grown up, she plans to spend much more time abroad. “I’ll spend a lot of time in Cambodia. I’ll spend time visiting my family members wherever they may be in the world.”

The timing is particularly significant because two of Brad and Angelina’s children have also taken another formal step towards removing Pitt from their names.

According to court documents obtained by Page Six, Zahara, 21, has published a legal notice in the Los Angeles Daily Journal as part of the process of officially changing her surname.

The documents show the notice appeared once a week for four consecutive weeks, on 16th June, 23rd June, 30th June and 7th July, as required under California law. The notice also invites anyone who objects to the name change to file a written opposition before the final court hearing.

 

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Zahara is due back in court on 28th September, when a judge is expected to decide whether to approve the request. If nobody objects, the change can be granted.

Court records also show that Maddox, 24, has completed the same publication requirement. His petition reportedly also appeared in the Los Angeles Daily Journal.

Publishing a petition in a newspaper is one of California’s legal requirements before a name change can be finalised.

Zahara requested to become legally known as Zahara Jolie rather than Zahara Jolie-Pitt. She had already stopped using Pitt publicly when she graduated from Spelman College in May, where she was introduced as Zahara Marley Jolie.

Brad and Angelina share six children together: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne.

Shiloh was the first of the siblings to legally remove Pitt from her surname, filing to do so on her 18th birthday last year. According to Entertainment Tonight, she “hired her own lawyer and paid for it herself.”

All six of Brad and Angelina’s children have reportedly become increasingly estranged from the F1 actor following the couple’s highly publicised split in 2016.

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Featured image credit: Virisa Yong/BFA.com/Shutterstock