Maddox Jolie-Pitt, the eldest son of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, has made a legal move to distance himself from his father.
Years after Pitt and Jolie split, the fallout from the iconic Hollywood romance seems to be far from over, as their six children now seem to be writing the next chapter of the Brangelina saga.
The news of Maddox’s legal filing came after sources insisted Pitt wasn’t an absent father.
Maddox Jolie-Pitt has made a legal move to distance himself from his father
Sources recently claimed to the Daily Mail that Pitt still wants a relationship with his six children, Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20, and 17-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.
But the children have seemingly been distancing themselves from their father, with the oldest son Maddox serving the latest blow.
Maddox officially filed to change his hyphenated surname to Maddox Chivan Jolie.
His filing said the reason behind dropping his father’s name was “personal.”
When Maddox’s name appeared in the credits of his mother’s upcoming movie Couture, it was displayed as Maddox Jolie instead of Maddox Jolie-Pitt.
He was credited as Maddox Jolie-Pitt in the biopic Maria, in which he worked as a production assistant, and his mother was cast as the leading lady.
Jolie previously accused her ex-husband of striking Maddox when the family was aboard a private jet in 2016
Previously, Jolie filed a lawsuit against the FBI after they closed an investigation into Pitt’s alleged behavior on a private jet with the family in 2016.
The Maleficent star filed for divorce and demanded full custody of their kids days after the private jet incident.
In her 2022 lawsuit against the FBI, Jolie accused Pitt of putting his hands on Maddox, aged 15 at the time, and striking him mid-air. The actor later denied the claims.
She also accused Pitt of pouring beer on her and having a physical altercation with her.
The lawsuit, filed by Jolie in 2022 under “Jane Doe,” asked the FBI to hand over documents related to their investigation into Pitt’s behavior and alleged ass*ult on the private flight. But she eventually dropped the lawsuit.
Since Jolie and Pitt’s bitter split, their children have seemingly distanced themselves from the Fight Club star.
Shiloh, who turned 20 this month, made things official by removing Pitt from her last name on her 18th birthday.
The youngster reportedly hired her own lawyer and paid for the process herself.
She “made an independent and significant decision following painful events,” her lawyer Peter Levine told People at the time.
Several of the Jolie-Pitt siblings have officially or informally changed their hyphenated surname
Youngest daughter Vivienne also followed in her siblings’ footsteps, having her name listed as “Vivienne Jolie” in the Playbill for the 2024 Broadway adaptation of The Outsiders, which she worked on alongside her mother.
When the former couple’s oldest daughter, Zahara, graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta earlier this month, her name on the commencement program was listed as Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt.
But when she walked onstage, her name was read as “Zahara Marley Jolie.”
Previously, Zahara introduced herself as “Zahara Marley Jolie” while joining the Mu Pi chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Spelman College in 2023.
Pitt didn’t even call to congratulate Zahara when she graduated earlier this month, sources claimed
Sources claimed Pitt didn’t even call to congratulate Zahara when the 21-year-old walked across the stage as a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology graduate.
“Zahara’s mom and siblings, who have been involved over the four very special years, were present and cheering her and her Spelman sisters on,” a source close to Jolie told TMZ earlier this month.
The source said the day was about Zahara’s accomplishment and not about “whether [Pitt] was willing to attend.”
“Nothing prevented him from showing up for her. Or ever visiting her,” the source added.
Amid the backlash, sources insisted this week that Pitt wasn’t an absent father and was growing increasingly frustrated over the narrative surrounding his relationship with his kids.
“When you’ve made clear that you’re pushing him away from the children, a reasonable person cannot then complain that he’s not close to the children,” a source claimed to the Daily Mail.
One source claimed the F1 star and his extended family members have made “efforts” to salvage his relationship with his kids over the years.
Insiders insisted the actor wasn’t an absent father and is frustrated by the narrative surrounding him and his kids
“His family did try to do things and there were, at some points, communication,” the source said before admitting “it’s been a while” since such an effort was made
“I know that there have been attempts with the cousins. [Growing up], they did have a good relationship, so that’s been cut off also,” they added. “Nothing’s really changed.”
Another source said Pitt’s family members have been following his lead, and the people closest to him “are not judging him through any of this.”
“They know he is genuinely trying his best under incredibly difficult circumstances,” the insider added.
“It’s easy to judge people from the outside, we need to be better humans,” one commented online
