Brad Pitts's son Maddox officially drops fathers surname in a legal filing

The son of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt has reportedly decided to drop his father’s surname as their relationship continues to grow more distant.

Maddox Jolie, formerly known as Maddox Jolie-Pitt, is legally dropping “Pitt” from his surname in a move said to distance himself from his estranged father, Brad Pitt.

The 24-year-old reportedly cited “personal” reasons in his legal petition, filed amid a deeply fractured relationship with the actor following his parents’ highly publicized and contentious 2016 divorce.

According to TMZ, Maddox filed paperwork requesting a legal name change, specifically seeking to remove “Pitt” from his surname and instead go by “Maddox Chivan Jolie.”

The legal name change appears to reflect a broader pattern of estrangement between Brad Pitt and several of the former couple’s children. Maddox had previously dropped the “Pitt” surname in the credits for the 2026 film Couture, where he worked as an assistant director, opting instead to be credited simply as “Maddox Jolie.”

Maddox is one of several Jolie-Pitt children who have distanced themselves from their father. Shiloh previously went through the legal process to remove the surname, while Zahara and Vivienne have also reportedly stopped using “Pitt” in both professional and personal settings.

One user wrote: “Maddox joins some of his other siblings in dropping Pitt as a last name, Shiloh changed her name legally, Zahara dropped it informally, and Vivienne removed it from the playbill for a Broadway production she worked on.”

As reported by The Mirror, the widening divide is largely linked to a highly publicized 2016 altercation aboard a private plane, during which Angelina Jolie alleged that Pitt was physically and verbally aggressive toward her and the children allegations the actor has consistently denied. The case was later closed without charges being filed.

Another user, identified as anoidciv, wrote: ‘’Well you don't just wake up one day and casually decide to strangle your wife and abuse your children. We only know about that incident because a report was filed, but I have no doubt that there were many incidents before that’’.