Angelina Jolie has been targeted by a sweeping anonymous claim about her Hollywood reputation as two of her adult children move closer to legally removing Brad Pitt’s surname from their names.
A July 19 Daily Mail column quoted an unidentified person described as a Hollywood source saying, “People hate her.” The column did not name any actors, filmmakers, studio executives or other industry figures who supposedly shared that view.
Maddox remains legally Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt until his hearing on Sept. 14. Zahara’s petition is scheduled to be considered on Sept. 28.
The ‘People Hate Her’ Claim Came From One Unnamed Source
‘People hate her’: KENNEDY’s Hollywood mole unleashes on Angelina Jolie… as two more of her kids publicly humiliate dad Brat Pitt https://t.co/Phwja1L8ca
— Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) July 19, 2026
The column revisited Jolie’s relationships with Billy Bob Thornton and Pitt before introducing the anonymous source’s assessment of her current reputation. Its headline also characterized Maddox and Zahara’s name-change efforts as a public humiliation for Pitt. Neither adult child has described the petitions that way or publicly explained the personal reasons behind the requests.
Jolie continues to work as an actor, director and producer. Her representatives have not responded to the Daily Mail column or suggested that she directed her children’s legal petitions.
Maddox and Zahara’s Petitions Are Still Pending
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s Daughter Zahara Files to Drop ‘Pitt’ from Last Name Days After Brother Maddox Did the Same https://t.co/vINKYDMmAT
— People (@people) June 10, 2026
According to court documents obtained by People, Maddox is asking to change his legal name from Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt to Maddox Chivan Jolie. Zahara is requesting the name Zahara Marley Jolie.
Both filed proof that notice of their proposed changes had been published in the Los Angeles Daily Journal, a required step before the court can consider their petitions. Maddox’s proof of publication was recorded July 7, while Zahara’s followed July 9.
They had already used versions of those names publicly. Maddox was credited as Maddox Jolie for his work as an assistant director on his mother’s film Couture. Zahara was introduced as Zahara Marley Jolie when she graduated from Spelman College in May, after previously using the same name during her Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority induction.
Shiloh’s Name Change Was Legally Granted
Shiloh filed to become Shiloh Nouvel Jolie on her 18th birthday in May 2024. A Los Angeles judge approved the petition that August, making her the first of Jolie and Pitt’s children publicly known to complete the legal process of removing Pitt from her surname.
Vivienne was credited as Vivienne Jolie in the Playbill for the Broadway production of The Outsiders, which she worked on with her mother. No public court record has confirmed that the professional credit reflected a legal name change.
Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016 after a family flight on which she later alleged Pitt physically assaulted her and two of their children. Pitt denied the allegations, and federal authorities did not file criminal charges following their review.
The former couple were declared legally single in 2019 and finalized their divorce settlement in December 2024. Their separate litigation over the French winery Château Miraval has continued.