Internet users speculated that Brad Pitt’s children, Zahara and Maddox, are ashamed of him after both used California newspaper notices as part of the process of dropping his last name.
Brad Pitt has had a strained relationship with several of his children in the years following his highly publicized divorce from Angelina Jolie. Court filings, media reports, and public incidents have fueled ongoing speculation about family tensions, while some of his children have publicly distanced themselves from the actor. In recent years, several of the former couple’s children have reportedly stopped using “Pitt” publicly or taken steps to remove it from their names, prompting renewed discussion about the state of their relationship with their father.
According to reports by Page Six, court documents show that Zahara published a legal notice in the Los Angeles Daily Journal as part of her request to remove Pitt from her surname. The notice is scheduled to run once a week for four consecutive weeks and states that anyone wishing to object to the name change must file a written opposition before the scheduled court hearing. Zahara is expected to appear in court on Sept. 28, when a judge will decide whether to approve or deny the request. Page Six also reported that Maddox previously published a similar legal notice in the same newspaper as part of his own name change process.
Although Zahara’s and Maddox’s California newspaper notices attracted widespread attention, they were not voluntary public announcements. Instead, publishing the notices is a standard requirement under California’s legal name change process. In most cases, petitioners must publish notice of their requested name change in a newspaper of general circulation for four consecutive weeks before a judge can consider approving the request.
Zahara and Maddox have publicly distanced themselves from Brad Pitt’s surname on multiple occasions in recent years. In 2023, Zahara introduced herself as “Zahara Marley Jolie” during her induction into the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Spelman College, omitting “Pitt.” She later used the same name again during her 2026 college graduation, further signaling her preference to go by Jolie rather than Pitt.
Maddox has also reportedly preferred using “Jolie” instead of “Jolie-Pitt” in non-legal settings for several years. Reports dating back to 2021 claimed that he did not regularly use his father’s surname and had considered formally removing it. Their recent legal efforts to change their names to Zahara Marley Jolie and Maddox Chivan Jolie follow years of publicly avoiding the Pitt surname amid the family’s widely reported estrangement.
Viewers React to Brad Pitt’s Kids Posting California Newspaper Ads
Viewers had mixed reactions to the news that Brad Pitt’s children had published legal notices as part of their name change requests. Many commenters supported Zahara and Maddox’s decision. “I mean, regardless of his actions, Pitt is a pretty bad last name,” one person wrote. Others pointed out that the newspaper notices were simply part of California’s legal process rather than an attempt to publicly embarrass the actor. “Weird, it’s a requirement in CA to take out a public newspaper ad to change your name, not a shaming tactic on Pitt,” another commenter wrote.
Some viewers argued that Zahara and Maddox would eventually regret their decision, while others pushed back against that claim. “The comments saying they’ll need his money one day are weird considering their mom is worth at least $120 million,” one person wrote. Another commenter said, “I don’t want to see anyone commenting Angelina alienated the kids. How many of his adult kids have dropped their father’s name!”
The news sparked a conversation about Brad Pitt’s strained relationship with several of his children and how recent developments have brought renewed attention to their family dynamic. It also led to discussions about the reasons behind the reported estrangement, with many social media users attributing the situation to Pitt’s own actions, while others noted that the full circumstances remain known only to those involved.
