Brad PittThe family story has taken another important turn, along with his daughter Zahara officially removing her last name from her legal name.
The decision comes after years of public tension surrounding Pitt and Angelina Jolieand the family, but the latest development is not just about papers.
Zahara’s court-approved change has now sparked competing views from both sides, with Pitt’s camp describing the move as part of a wider alienation pattern while Jolie’s team strongly disputes that character.
Brad Pitt’s daughter, Zahara, officially drops her last name
The legal change is now official. A Los Angeles judge granted Zahara’s petition to change her name from Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt to Zahara Marley Jolie during a hearing Monday at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The court’s September 28 minute order said, “Since there are no objections, the petition for name change is granted,” and then, “The order is signed and filed.” The document confirms that her legal name is now Zahara Marley Jolie.
Zahara’s lawyer, Peter Kenneth Levine, appeared remotely during the hearing, which was presided over by Judge Virginia Keeny.
The management formalized a process that had been going on for months. In June, Zahara began publishing legal notices announcing her intended name change in the Los Angeles Daily Journal.
The notices appeared on June 16, June 23, June 30 and July 7, giving the public the opportunity to submit written objections before the court hearing.
By the time the judge approved the petition, Zahara had already been using Jolie in public without Brad Pitt’s surname.
Pitt Camp Calls Name Change ‘Complete and Complete Stranger’
The legal ruling quickly became another point of contention between the camps around Brad Pitt and Jolie.
A source close to the actor responded to the court decision by framing it as part of a much larger family feud.
“This is the latest installment of a complete and utter alien look with the added bonus of trying to distract from their ex’s success,” the source said. Page Six.
The same source continued, “Anyone who has been a part of this for the last ten years would know that there is only one side that is talking about it and has tried to weaponize the children.”
Brad Pitt’s daughter gets a response from Angelina Jolie’s camp
Jolie’s team vehemently rejected the characterization from Pitt’s camp, arguing that Monday’s hearing was just the necessary legal step in an already-documented process.
A second source close to the “Maleficent” actress told the outlet, “Today’s hearing was required by law and scheduled months ago by the LA court system.”
The source then criticized Pitt’s camp’s response, saying, “It’s a new thing for his camp to spin a conspiracy theory, avoid responsibility for his behavior and attack his own child.”
The statement also pointed to Zahara’s decision not to publicly discuss the details of her relationship with her father, saying, “Remember, his daughter has had the grace not to discuss the details of his behavior in public.
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Brad Pitt’s son will officially drop his father’s surname
Zahara’s legal name change wasn’t the only recent move involving the Pitt family name. Just two weeks before her Sept. 28 hearing, her older brother Maddox also got court permission to remove “Pitt” from his legal name.
As PEOPLE reportedly, a Superior Court judge in Los Angeles granted Maddox’s request on September 14, changing his name from Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt to Maddox Chivan Jolie. Court documents said there were “no objections” to the petition.
Maddox had already stopped using Pitt professionally earlier this year. He was credited as Maddox Jolie while working as an assistant director on Jolie’s film “Couture”. He filed the formal petition in May, citing “personality” as the reason for the requested change.
In addition to Maddox and Zahara, Shiloh legally became Shiloh Jolie in 2024.
Angelina Jolie is selling her Los Angeles estate for $24.75 million
The name change comes with another big change for Jolie: the sale of the Los Angeles estate where she raised her children.
As The Blast reported, the actress sold the historic property for $24.75 million on September 24.
Jolie bought the Los Feliz property for around $24.5 million in 2017, shortly after filing for divorce from Brad Pitt. It listed in May for nearly $30 million before it was finally sold.
The approximately 11,000-square-foot home sits on approximately 2.1 acres in the cul-de-sac of Laughlin Park. It has six bedrooms and ten bathrooms, along with a guest house, pool and pool house, tea house, hidden treehouse, fitness studio, library, wine cellar, garage and security station.
The building was once owned by filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille. Jolie previously said she planned to leave Los Angeles after her youngest children turned 18 and hoped to spend more time in Cambodia.