The family relationship between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie is once again in the spotlight after their daughter, Zahara Jolie-Pitt, filed a legal request to officially change her surname.
According to court documents, the 21-year-old has asked to be known in the future as Zahara Jolie, dropping her father’s last name. A court hearing on the request is scheduled for September 28.
Although this is her first formal legal action, Zahara had previously hinted at the change. In 2023, she introduced herself as Zahara Marley Jolie during an Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority ceremony at Spelman College. She also did not use the Pitt surname during her recent graduation in psychology.
Zahara is not the only child of the former Hollywood couple to distance themselves from their father’s surname. Her sister Shiloh legally removed “Pitt” from her name shortly after turning 18 in 2024, while Maddox also filed a similar request earlier this year, citing personal reasons.
Maddox had already stopped using the Pitt surname professionally, including in the credits of the film Couture, where he worked as an assistant director. Similarly, Vivienne also did not use her father’s surname in the Broadway production of The Outsiders.
According to previous media reports, Brad Pitt has reportedly found his children’s decisions difficult to accept, although he is said to still be attempting to repair strained family relationships.
The family’s relationship has remained under public scrutiny for years following Pitt and Jolie’s separation in 2016 after an incident on a private jet. Their long and complex divorce was officially finalized at the end of 2024.
