Angelina Jolie and her 21-year-old daughter, Zahara, stepped out together at a New York City screening for the film Without Blood in the East Village. The public appearance arrived just as court documents confirmed that Jolie and Brad Pitt’s eldest son, Maddox, legally dropped the Pitt surname.
The Bottom Line
- The Red Carpet Appearance: Angelina Jolie and Zahara attended the New York screening of Without Blood in coordination, with Jolie wearing a black suit and gold bralette and Zahara in a halter-style dress.
- Legal Name Changes: A Los Angeles court officially approved 25-year-old Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt’s request to legally change his name to Maddox Chivan Jolie.
- Broader Family Dynamics: Several of Jolie and Pitt’s children have dropped or informally stopped using the Pitt surname amid ongoing legal proceedings between the former couple, including a separate hearing scheduled for Zahara.
A Family Affair in the East Village
The red carpet spotlight fell firmly on Angelina Jolie and her daughter Zahara as they arrived at the East Village screening for Without Blood. Jolie directed the feature, which is adapted from Alessandro Baricco’s novel and stars Salma Hayek and Demián Bichir ahead of its theatrical rollout. Dressed in striking complementary evening wear, the mother-daughter duo cut a formidable figure for photographers, echoing previous high-profile joint appearances such as their turn at the Golden Globe Awards covered by outlets like Femina.
Here is the kicker: this latest public showcase of family solidarity isn’t just about supporting a directorial project. It serves as a very visible marker of a domestic reality that has shifted dramatically off-screen, framed by legal maneuvers playing out across California courts.
Inside the Courtroom: Maddox Makes It Official
While the premiere brought glamour to New York, the legal paperwork was being finalized on the West Coast. A Los Angeles judge formally approved a petition filed by 25-year-old Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt to drop the hyphenated paternal surname. Court records show that the petition went uncontested, officially modifying his legal moniker to Maddox Chivan Jolie.
This development is far from an isolated incident. The dissolution of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s marriage—which officially reached final judgment in December 2024 following their 2016 separation—has triggered a ripple effect among their children. Court filings indicate that Maddox and Zahara both initiated legal steps to sever ties with the Pitt name. Zahara’s own name-change hearing has been docketed for late September, pointing to a methodical restructuring of family identity.
The Expanding Scope of the Family Split
The legal shedding of the paternal surname began publicly when daughter Shiloh petitioned the court to legally change her name to Jolie following her 18th birthday in 2024. Meanwhile, younger siblings Zahara, Vivienne, and Knox have informally dropped the hyphenation in their daily lives, with further formal adjustments widely anticipated by legal observers tracking the docket.
| Family Member | Age | Status of Surname |
|---|---|---|
| Maddox Chivan Jolie | 25 | Legal name change approved by LA court |
| Zahara Marley Jolie | 21 | Informally dropped surname; legal hearing scheduled |
| Shiloh Jolie | Recent | Legal name change completed in 2024 |
| Vivienne & Knox | 18 | Informally dropping the use of the Pitt surname |
Beyond family dynamics, the commercial and legal disputes between Jolie and Pitt continue to cast a long shadow over their professional lives. The friction extends well past domestic courtrooms into property battles, most notably involving the Château Miraval French estate that once served as a family home.
What Comes Next for the Jolie-Pitt Household
As Without Blood heads toward its wide release, the media narrative surrounding Jolie remains inextricably linked to her role as a matriarch steering her children through an intensely public transition. But the math tells a different story about Hollywood longevity: while the media obsess over every court filing, Jolie continues to assert creative control behind the camera, balancing high-stakes auteur projects with fierce protection of her family’s autonomy.
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