Recent reports have suggested that the relationship between Brad Pitt and the children he shares with ex-wife Angelina Jolie has deteriorated. While neither side has openly discussed the state of that dynamic, several of Pitt’s kids have notably either dropped or are trying to drop his last name. One of the latest kids to do so is 24-year-old Maddox, who recently filed to do away with the surname “Pitt.” The act of changing one’s name, of course, requires a formal process and, now, Maddox has reportedly taken another step in that regard.
Maddox Jolie-Pitt has officially landed a court date as part of his attempt to change his surname. Per legal documents obtained by In Touch Weekly, Maddox is officially set to head to court on September 14, and it’s there that a judge will hear his reasons for wanting to change his name. More recently, the young man had been using the name “Maddox Jolie,” and that’s how he’s credited in Angelina’s movie, Couture, which opens in U.S. theaters this summer amid the 2026 movie schedule.
News of Maddox’s decision to change his name came at the end of May and, around that same time, an insider alleged that 62-year-old Brad Pitt was not pleased with the decision. The unnamed source went as far as to claim that Pitt’s “biggest fear” was that he’d be “permanently disconnected from the kids.” According to that same report, the F1 star was also eager to “find a way to make things right.” Regardless, there have been several developments that would seemingly suggest he and his children aren’t currently close.
Pitt and Jolie’s daughter, Shiloh (20), was the first of the kids to file to drop “Pitt,” as she did so on her 18th birthday back in 2024. Months after that, her request was approved, and she now goes by “Shiloh Nouvel Jolie”. More recently, one of the former celebrity couple’s other daughters, Zahara (22) also filed name change-related paperwork this past April. Zahara was referred to as “Zahara Marley Jolie” at her recent college graduation – which Pitt didn’t attend – though the ceremony’s program apparently listed her as “Jolie-Pitt”.
These name changes also come several years after Angelina Jolie (51) leveling claims against Brad Pitt. Via legal documents the actress/director filed in 2021, she accused Pitt of physically and verbally abusing her and their children during a flight in 2016. Since then, Pitt has denied the accusations.
Jolie and Pitt also share three other children – son Pax (22) and twins Knox and Vivienne (18). Several years ago, it was alleged that Pitt had a “pretty good relationship” with his kids, particularly his younger ones. However, estrangement rumors persisted for one reason or another, including Pitt’s absence from Zahara’s sorority induction ceremony a few years ago.
Even if Brad Pitt wants to reconcile with his children as has been alleged, recent circumstances seem to suggest that they’re trying to distance themselves from him. On that note, it’s uncertain whether Pitt himself will come up during Maddox’s court hearing as a specific reason for him changing his name.
