{"id":1762,"date":"2026-07-23T20:14:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:14:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/?p=1762"},"modified":"2026-07-23T20:14:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:14:09","slug":"angelina-jolie-responds-after-daughter-vivienne-18-files-to-drop-pitt-from-her-last-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/?p=1762","title":{"rendered":"Angelina Jolie Responds After Daughter Vivienne, 18, Files to Drop ‘Pitt’ From Her Last Name"},"content":{"rendered":"

The filing comes after some of her siblings also took steps to use their mother’s surname. Behind the legal filing, new details have emerged about Angelina Jolie’s hopes for her family.<\/p>\n

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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s youngest daughter has taken a formal legal step that speaks volumes about where things stand in one of Hollywood’s most closely watched family sagas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Angelina<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Angelina Jolie’s reported reaction comes into focus after daughter Vivienne filed to remove “Pitt” from her legal last name. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Vivienne has filed a petition to legally remove “Pitt” from her last name, according to court documents as reported by People on July 21, 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The 18-year-old is asking the Los Angeles County Superior Court to change her legal name from Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt to\u00a0Vivienne Marcheline Jolie<\/strong>.\u00a0E! News, which also reviewed the court records, reported that the petition was filed eight days after she turned 18.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Vivienne<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Vivienne Jolie-Pitt arrives at “The Outsiders” afterparty in New York City in April 2024. She has since filed to legally remove “Pitt” from her last name. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The petition lists the reason for the request as\u00a0“personal.”<\/strong>\u00a0According to\u00a0the media outlet, the filing marks the latest indication that Vivienne has distanced herself from the Pitt surname.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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After the petition became public, a source close to Brad responded in a statement to\u00a0USA TODAY\u00a0on July 22..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Brad<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Brad Pitt attends the world premiere of F1 in New York City in June 2025. A source close to the actor later responded after Vivienne filed to legally remove “Pitt” from her last name. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“It is important to contextualize that Brad was awarded 50\/50 custody of the children in 2021 following lengthy testimonies from witnesses, experts, therapists and other people who had been with the kids and around them,” the source explained.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Angelina Jolie’s Reported Response Follows the Filing<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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A\u00a0separate report\u00a0also offered insight into Angelina’s perspective following the filing. According to a source, Angelina is looking for\u00a0“everyone to heal”<\/strong>\u00a0as her children seek to drop\u00a0“Pitt”<\/strong>\u00a0from their last names.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The source also said, “If people knew the whole truth, they would have more sympathy for the children and respect them. The fact they aren’t speaking ill or sharing things publicly only shows their decency.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Angelina<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Angelina Jolie and daughter Vivienne Jolie-Pitt are seen together in New York City in 2023. Vivienne’s latest name-change filing has since prompted new insight into Jolie’s reported hopes for her family. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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No additional details about her response were included in the report. Vivienne’s request is scheduled to be heard in LA County Superior Court on\u00a0November 2, 2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Vivienne’s Playbill Credit Added a Quieter but Telling Twist<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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As reportedly in 2024, Vivienne stepped into the conversation in a quieter, but still very noticeable, way. In the Playbill for the musical “The Outsiders,” which she helped Angelina produce, Vivienne was listed as\u00a0“Vivienne Jolie”<\/strong>\u00a0rather than “Vivienne Jolie-Pitt,”\u00a0according to People.<\/u><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The same publication noted that it was not immediately clear whether Vivienne had legally changed her name. Still, the listing was enough to catch public attention.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Vivienne’s filing is the latest in a series of legal efforts by the Jolie children to use their mother’s surname.\u00a0A previous report showed that two of her siblings had already moved their own petitions closer to a court decision<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Vivienne<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Vivienne Jolie at the Opening Night Gala Performance of the musical based on the film “Heathers The Musical” in New York City on June 30, 2025. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Legal Step That Moved Their Petitions Closer to a Judge’s Decision<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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As reported by the\u00a0same publication\u00a0on July 13, Zahara and Maddox have completed a key legal requirement in their petitions to\u00a0remove “Pitt”<\/strong>\u00a0from their last names.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Court documents obtained by the publication show they\u00a0published the notices<\/strong>\u00a0required under California law before a judge can consider their requests.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Before years of legal proceedings reshaped the family, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt frequently appeared together at public events like this one. Today, two of their children are seeking to legally remove “Pitt” from their names. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The notices stated that Zahara, 21, is seeking the legal name\u00a0Zahara Marley Jolie<\/strong>, while Maddox, 24, is requesting the name\u00a0Maddox Chivan Jolie<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In California, petitioners seeking a legal name change must publish notice of their request in a qualifying newspaper before their case can proceed to a hearing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Maddox’s notice appeared in the Los Angeles Daily Journal on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, while Zahara’s was published on Thursday, July 9. Once proof of publication is filed with the court, each petition can move forward to a hearing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Maddox<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Maddox and Zahara were still young children when this photo was taken with Brad Pitt in 2007. Nearly two decades later, both have completed the legal publication requirement needed before a judge can decide whether to approve their requested name changes. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Neither name change has been approved yet. The next step is for a judge to review each petition during separate court hearings. Maddox’s hearing is scheduled for\u00a0September 14<\/strong>, while Zahara’s is set for\u00a0September 28<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Both Maddox and Zahara were\u00a0adopted by Angelina\u00a0before Brad later adopted them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Maddox was born in Battambang, Cambodia, and was adopted by Angelina in 2002 after she visited an orphanage while in the country. Zahara was born in Hawassa, Ethiopia, and was adopted by the actress in 2005 when she was about seven months old.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This is one of the more recent public photos of Zahara and Maddox with their mother. Since then, both siblings have filed petitions to legally change their names and are now waiting for separate court hearings. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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While the publication notices mark the latest development, they are not the first sign that the siblings were seeking to legally remove Brad’s surname.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The\u00a0Daily Mail\u00a0reported that Maddox filed the request on May 27, listing the reason simply as “Personal.” But the filing was not the first indication that he planned to drop the surname.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Maddox, Angelina Jolie, and Brad Pitt at the Governor Awards in Hollywood, California on November 16, 2013. | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Maddox\u00a0had already informally dropped the surname in February<\/strong>, when he was listed in the end credits of Angelina’s movie “Couture” as Maddox Jolie.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Angelina Jolie’s Daughter Takes the Spelman Graduation Stage<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Zahara, who recently graduated from Spelman College, had also used her mom’s surname publicly before filing her own legal petition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In its\u00a02026 Commencement Ceremony footage<\/u>, the graduate was called to the stage as\u00a0“Zahara Marley Jolie”<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0notably,<\/i>\u00a0with no hyphenated “Pitt” at the end.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Zahara<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Zahara Marley Jolie shaking hands with people as her name was called during the Spelman College’s 2026 Commencement Ceremony, posted on May 17, 2026. | Source: YouTube\/Spelman College<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In the graduation footage, Zahara can be seen walking across the stage in her black cap and gown, with a pale stole draped over her shoulders. She appears poised and happy as she accepts her achievement, shaking hands with top alumnae and professionals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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More\u00a0photos from the commencement<\/u>\u00a0showed Zahara beaming in her graduation attire. In one image, she turns back with a bright smile, holding her diploma cover as the Spelman emblem stands behind her.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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