Another of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s Children Drops Pitt From Their Last Name
Another Jolie-Pitt kid is moving on: Maddox, 24, is reportedly dropping Pitt from his surname and will go by Maddox Chivan Jolie. Angelina adopted him in 2002, with Brad following in 2006.
If you’re keeping up with the ongoing saga of the Jolie-Pitt family — and honestly, given the volume of headlines, you might be doing it whether you want to or not — there’s another twist worth noting. Maddox Jolie-Pitt, the eldest of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s brood, has officially decided he’s done with the ‘Pitt’ bit of his surname. He’s now Maddox Chivan Jolie, full stop. Not exactly a casual move, is it?
Maddox Drops the 'Pitt'
At 24, Maddox was adopted by Angelina back in 2002, before Brad entered the picture. Pitt later adopted him officially in 2006, at the height of Brangelina-mania, and at the time, Maddox took both surnames. Fast forward to 2024: according to new reports (TMZ got the first scoop), Maddox has legally removed 'Pitt' from all his documents. Reason? Simply listed as 'personal', which is usually code for 'family drama no one wants to dissect in legal filings'.
This isn’t entirely out of the blue. Maddox and Pitt have apparently been distant for years, a fact that’s been doing the rounds in the media mill since the highly public 2016 split. In a recent move that probably felt more like a statement than paperwork, Maddox also left 'Pitt' off the credits of Angelina’s latest film, Couture, where he worked as assistant director. Just Maddox Jolie, thank you very much.
He’s Not the Only One
If this is a family trend, Maddox isn’t travelling solo. Several siblings seem to be quietly (or not so quietly) inching away from the Pitt surname as well:
- Shiloh Jolie: Has legally changed her name, with her lawyer noting she’d made 'an independent and significant decision following painful events'. Which, frankly, is a more polite way of saying 'family stuff got ugly'.
- Zahara Jolie: Has reportedly dropped 'Pitt' informally — so, not a legal change, but she’s not using it in public.
- Vivienne Jolie: Ditched 'Pitt' from her Playbill credits for a Broadway gig she worked on, which feels pretty definitive in showbiz terms.
The other two, Pax and Knox (who still use Jolie-Pitt), haven’t made any public moves to change their names. Whether they’ll follow suit is anyone’s guess.
Reminder: It’s Been Rocky
Just to put all this in context, Angelina and Brad started seeing each other in 2005 and finally made things official (on paper, anyway) in 2014. That bliss lasted a whole two years before their much-scrutinised divorce in 2016, which subsequently turned into its own subgenre of tabloid coverage. After years of back-and-forth in court, the former couple reportedly signed a settlement agreement in December 2024.
As for what’s next — at this rate, don’t be surprised if there are more legal name changes before the dust properly settles.