Brad Pitt children publish newspaper notices to erase father’s surname

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's children Zahara and Maddox have taken another formal step towards legally removing Pitt from their surnames by publishing court ordered newspaper notices in California. The legal filings, obtained by Page Six, show both siblings completed the publication process required before a judge can consider approving their requested name changes.

According to the court documents, 21 year old Zahara published her petition in the Los Angeles Daily Journal once a week for four consecutive weeks. The notices appeared on June 16, June 23, June 30 and July 7, informing the public of her request to change her name from Zahara Jolie Pitt to Zahara Jolie. California law requires such notices to be published before a final hearing, allowing anyone with a legal objection to file written opposition.

Maddox, 24, followed the same legal procedure. His petition appeared in the Los Angeles Daily Journal on June 10, June 17, June 24 and July 1 as part of his request to change his name from Maddox Chivan Jolie Pitt to Maddox Chivan Jolie. Court records reportedly describe the reason for his request simply as "personal."

Zahara is scheduled to appear before a judge on September 28. If no objections are filed before the hearing, the court can approve the requested name change. The newspaper publication represents one of the final procedural requirements under California law before the hearing takes place.

The legal filings follow public signs that both siblings had already stopped using Pitt's surname in everyday life. When Zahara graduated from Spelman College in May, she was introduced during the ceremony as Zahara Marley Jolie. Last month, reports also revealed she had officially filed her legal petition to remove her father's surname.

Maddox has also distanced himself from the Pitt surname in recent years. He was credited as Maddox Jolie while working on his mother Angelina Jolie's film Couture. Previous reports have also indicated that he has preferred using Jolie on non legal documents for several years.

Their decisions continue a pattern seen among several of the former couple's six children. Shiloh legally removed Pitt from her surname after turning 18, while Vivienne was credited as Vivienne Jolie in the Playbill for the Broadway production of The Outsiders, where she worked alongside her mother.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who separated in 2016, share six children together. Their lengthy legal disputes following the separation have frequently drawn public attention, while reports have suggested that several of the children have become increasingly distant from their father. Despite that, previous reports have stated that Pax continues to maintain a relationship with members of Pitt's extended family, even though his relationship with the actor himself is believed to be limited.