After Zahara, Vivienne, and Shiloh, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s son Maddox is now officially dropping Pitt from his last name. According to the latest reports, the actor-director filed legal documents recently to change his formal name.
The recent move, which comes nearly a decade after Jolie and Pitt separated in 2016, also points to a past controversy. Here’s everything we know about the incident so far.
Maddox To Drop ‘Pitt’ From His Last Name
As reported by TMZ, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s eldest son, Maddox Chivan Jolie, filed legal documents to change his name officially. It involved the 24-year-old dropping ‘Pitt’ from his last name. It made waves online the moment the news broke, prompting many to speculate about the reason.
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He, however, isn’t the first to do so, as his siblings adopted Jolie’s last name as their own. Previously, Zahara Jolie dropped the Pitt surname in 2023, when she formally introduced herself as Zahara Marley Jolie. Vivienne Jolie also followed suit and dropped her last name, adopting her mother’s instead. Then came Shiloh, who legally filed paperwork to drop the surname in 2024.
Maddox’s name change was also reflected recently in Jolie’s movie ‘Couture,’ in which he served as an assistant director. The end credits showed his name as Maddox Jolie. The name change among Angelina’s children has been speculated time and time again. It brings everyone back to the controversy that triggered it all, as many theorized. Check it out below.
The Controversy That Started It All
It was in December 2024 that Pitt and Jolie officially finalized their divorce, but it all started in 2016. Jolie filed for divorce in September of that year, alleging that Pitt abused her and the children on a flight. The details of the physical and emotional abuse that came out were deeply disturbing.
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These charges were followed by a trial where both the FBI and the child care services closed the case and the inquiry. The police didn’t charge Pitt for the crime, and he even denied the abuse allegations regarding the flight. However, Pitt admitted to his drinking problem but refuted the assault allegations.
In her testimony, Jolie claimed that he not only abused the children and her physically but also hurled alcohol at them and lunged at one of the kids. The FBI dropped the charges after an inquiry found insufficient evidence. But there’s still a lawsuit pending.
It concerns their winery dispute over the ownership and sale of Château Miraval, a 1200-acre estate and vineyard in France. Pitt sued her in 2022 for breach of contract. She sold her stake, and the actress claimed he coerced her into signing an NDA. In 2025, the judge ordered Jolie to hand over undisclosed messages regarding the sale of stakes.
The court overturned it in May 2026, ruling in Jolie’s favor. Here, the jury said that her private correspondence, including those messages and interactions, is protected. The lawsuit is currently ongoing, and the hearing will take place in 2027, according to several reports.
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