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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s son Maddox has chosen to remove his father’s surname from his professional credits, marking a notable development in the high-profile family’s ongoing saga. The 24-year-old actor and assistant director joined his siblings in distancing themselves from the Pitt name as reported with his credit on Jolie’s latest film at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025.
Background on the Jolie-Pitt Family and Name Changes
Maddox, one of six children shared by Jolie and Pitt, was adopted by Jolie in Cambodia in 2002, during her marriage to actor Billy Bob Thornton. Pitt later adopted Maddox and Jolie’s adopted daughter Zahara in 2006, legally changing their surname to Jolie-Pitt. Over the years, several of the children, including daughters Zahara, Shiloh, and Vivienne, have dropped Pitt from their names, with Maddox now leading as the first son to do so. The couple’s other children include Pax, 22, and Knox, 17.
Details of Jolie and Pitt’s Relationship and Legal Disputes
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, who officially became a couple in 2006 amid rumors of his affair with Jolie during his marriage to Jennifer Aniston, married in 2014 after two years of engagement. Their relationship ended publicly with a divorce announcement in 2016 due to irreconcilable differences. In 2022, Jolie made serious allegations against Pitt related to a physical abuse incident as part of a legal dispute over their French winery. She accused Pitt of grabbing her head, shaking her, and pushing her against a bathroom wall, along with claims of him choking one child and hitting another. The FBI investigated but did not file charges.
Legal Responses and Public Statements from Brad Pitt’s Team
Brad Pitt’s legal representative Anne Kiley denied the abuse accusations, stating,
“Brad has owned everything he’s responsible for from day one – unlike the other side – but he’s not going to own anything he didn’t do.”
She added,
“He has been on the receiving end of every type of personal attack and misrepresentation.”
Further emphasizing the legal outcomes, Kiley remarked,
“Thankfully, the various public authorities the other side has tried to use against him over the past six years have made their own independent decisions.”
Maddox’s Role in Angelina Jolie’s Recent Films Reflects Name Change
This year, Maddox worked as an assistant director on Angelina Jolie’s film Couture, in which she plays Maxine Walker, an American film director battling breast cancer while creating editorial content for a Paris fashion show. His name appeared as Maddox Jolie in the production notes and French cinema credits, a shift from the 2024 biopic Maria, where he was credited as Maddox Jolie-Pitt while serving as a production assistant. That movie focused on opera singer Maria Callas, directed by Pablo Larraín with a screenplay by Steven Knight, and received Oscar nominations. It remains unclear whether Maddox has completed a formal legal name change.
Angelina Jolie’s Upcoming Projects and Continued Public Interest
Angelina Jolie’s upcoming project includes a role in the comedy Anxious People, featuring a diverse ensemble cast including Aimee Lou Wood from The White Lotus, Jason Segel from Shrinking, Carol Kane, Stephanie Allynne, Joanna Scanlan, Lennie James, and Jessica Gunning. The film adapts Fredrik Backman’s 2019 novel of the same title.
Significance of Maddox’s Decision and Family Impact
Maddox’s choice to omit Brad Pitt’s last name symbolizes a pivotal turn in how the children are handling their family legacy amid long-standing disputes and allegations. This distancing may reflect personal and legal tensions between the former couple as the children establish their own identities. With no official statements released by Brad Pitt’s team and only contact attempts made to Angelina Jolie’s representatives, the name change is likely to fuel ongoing public and media scrutiny as their story evolves.