Brad Pitt’s 17-year-old son Knox has dropped his father’s surname, becoming the latest of his children with Angelina Jolie to do so, after he graduated from Fusion Academy in Los Angeles earlier this month with his name listed simply as Knox Jolie on his diploma, according to Page Six.
Jolie attended the graduation ceremony alongside Knox’s siblings Pax, twin sister Vivienne and sister Zahara. During his graduation speech, Knox drew attention for dropping an expletive while discussing an upcoming martial arts fight. Wearing his blue cap and gown, he told classmates: “Tonight, I’m gonna be fighting at Total Sonic Knockout 5 at 12:45 AM, so catch me. I’m gonna knock ’em the f**k out!” Jolie filmed the moment on her phone from the audience. Knox will turn 18 alongside his twin sister Vivienne on 12 July.
Knox’s decision follows similar moves by several of his siblings. Just days earlier, InTouch reported that his sister Zahara had filed legal papers to formally remove Pitt’s surname, with TMZ later obtaining a petition filed in Los Angeles Superior Court requesting her name be changed to Zahara Marley Jolie. Zahara has not used the Pitt surname for several years, having graduated from Spelman College in May — with Jolie in attendance — without it, having also joined a sorority at the college three years ago without the name.
The Daily Mail confirmed in May that Maddox, Pitt and Jolie’s eldest son, had similarly filed to change his name to Maddox Chivan Jolie, citing “personal” reasons. Vivienne dropped the Pitt surname from a Playbill credit for The Outsiders in 2024, while Shiloh dropped it shortly after turning 18 the same year. It remains unclear whether Pax has made a similar change. A source told the Daily Mail at the time of Shiloh’s name change: “He knew this was coming and there is nothing he can do about it right now. It’s sad but Brad’s strained relationship with his kids and Angelina is just a way of life for him now.” The source added that Pitt “respects Shiloh’s decision,” saying: “He loves her and no matter what happens, he is always only a phone call away. He will be there for Shiloh and any of his kids whenever they need, no questions asked. But it’s up to them to make the next move.” A separate source said Pitt understood that some of the children who are not biologically his “do not understand and may never allow him back into their lives.”
Pitt and Jolie married in 2014 and divorced legally in 2019, finally reaching a settlement in late 2024 after an eight-year legal battle. The couple share three biological children — Shiloh, 20, and twins Knox and Vivienne — alongside Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, and Zahara, 21, all adopted before Jolie filed for divorce in 2016.
The relationship between Pitt and Jolie broke down in 2016 following an alleged altercation aboard a private flight with their six children. Jolie later claimed Pitt had “choked” one of the children and “struck” another in the face during the incident, leaving her and the children feeling like “hostages” who cowered under a blanket until the plane landed. She also alleged he grabbed her by the head, slammed her against a wall and shook her violently, injuring her back and elbow. A representative for Pitt initially called Jolie’s account “completely untrue” to CNN, before issuing an amended statement reading: “Angelina’s story continues to evolve each time she tells it. Brad has accepted responsibility for what he did but will not for things he didn’t do. He has been on the receiving end of every type of personal attack and misrepresentation. Thankfully, the various public authorities she has tried to use against him over the past six years have made their own independent decisions. Brad will continue to respond in court as he has consistently done.”
Pitt has been romantically linked to Ines de Ramon since 2022.
