Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s Daugher Zahara Files to Drop Pitt from Last Name

The young graduate is now the third of the former couple's six children to do so.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's 21-year-old daughter Zahara has filed a petition to legally remove Pitt from her last name, marking the latest development in the family's ongoing estrangement from their father.

In documents obtained by PEOPLE on Tuesday, June 9, Zahara filed the petition in the Superior Court of California. Neither Pitt nor Jolie has commented on the matter, but fans who have followed the former couple for years have had plenty to say.

Some pointed the finger at Jolie. "That is very sad. Sounds like manipulation to me," one netizen wrote. "They treat him as if he was a monster. [...] For me it's manipulation," another agreed. A third chimed in, "Those kids are completely brainwashed by Angelina."

Others took a more measured stance. "Hopefully, someday the kids will figure it out. Very sad, otherwise," one person remarked. "This is such a sad situation for all involved. These kids have been through the ringer," another noted.

Not everyone was quick to assign blame, though.

"Don't be so sure about things you don't know about. For a kid to do this, as soon as they become an adult — says something," a third observer pointed out, while a fourth cautioned, "None of us were there so people should speculate. It's not anyone's business anyway. I'm sure it's painful to all involved."

Zahara's filing was dated April 28 and came just days after her brother Maddox also filed to remove Pitt's last name. The siblings' moves follow their parents' 2016 separation, which came after two years of marriage and over a decade together as a couple.

Their divorce was only finalized in December 2024, following a prolonged and bitter legal battle. "It's sad to see someone repeatedly publicize their successful alienation of their children from the other parent," a source close to Pitt said.

Jolie and Pitt share six children: Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20, and twins Knox and Vivienne, both 17. Zahara is now the third of their children to take steps to shed Pitt's last name — though the signs have been building for some time.

The Spelman College graduate first hinted at the change back in August 2024, when Essence shared a clip of Zahara introducing herself as she was inducted into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

"My name is Zahara Marley Jolie. And [I] landed all the way from the Golden State in the city full of angels: Los Angeles, California," she said in the video.

While her name appeared in the commencement program as "Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt," she was announced simply as "Zahara Marley Jolie" when she crossed the stage to collect her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

Her younger sister Shiloh was granted a name change in 2024 and now goes by Shiloh Jolie. Vivienne has not made a permanent commitment, though the Playbill for "The Outsiders" — the Broadway musical she helped her mother produce — credited her as Vivienne Jolie rather than Vivienne Jolie-Pitt.

As for Knox and Pax, both brothers currently retain their original names, and no reports suggest that is set to change.