Angelina Jolie's daughter Zahara made rare public comments about her relationship with her A-list mother in a touching speech - which failed to mention her estranged father Brad Pitt two-and-a-half years after dropping his name.
The 21-year-old college student spoke at a mother-daughter brunch for the Pearls of Purpose Foundation and the Nu Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha at Spelman College in Atlanta on Sunday.
A video posted on Facebook showed Zahara's emotional tribute to her mother as she said: 'When asked to speak with you all today on the value of mother-daughter relationships, it felt challenging to find the words.
'Not challenging because I don’t value it, but because my mom and I have a unique, almost kindred, relationship that can be hard to put into words.'
The aspiring actress has been estranged from her famous father and had a strained relationship with him ever since her parents split up nearly a decade ago.
Zahara dropped her father's surname during her sorority induction ceremony in 2023 as she now goes by Zahara Marley Jolie.
Angelina Jolie's daughter Zahara (seen together in January 2025) made rare public comments about her relationship with her A-lister mother in a touching speech as she did not mention estranged father Brad Pitt two-and-a-half years after dropping his name
The 21-year-old college student (pictured March 2025) spoke at a mother-daughter brunch for the Pearls of Purpose Foundation and the Nu Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha at Spelman College in Atlanta on Sunday
Zahara is a graduating senior at Historically Black College, Spelman College, majoring in psychology and minoring in educational studies.
She continued: 'Our love for each other is a found one. I was adopted at 6 months old and given some of the most special and loving people as my siblings, with a mom who raised us on the value of helping others, being kind and always striving for growth as people.
'These values may sound simple, but in a world where kindness is overlooked and helping others comes at a cost, I am grateful to have had a role model to show me what it looks like to be a decent human being.'
Zahara went on to say that the other daughters in attendance may understand the concept of comparing their mom to a superhero as she admitted that she is still trying to completely fathom how Jolie pulls it off.
She said: 'She’s the most selfless, loving and understanding woman who I get to call my mom.
'Early on, I realized it would be challenging to include my mom and family in these worlds without being able to directly share the effects. With the addition of the public life that we live, it can be hard to find those special and intimate moments without being overwhelmed with the many eyes that are on us.'
Zahara said that despite the public scrutiny her family has endured, Jolie has not stopped being curious about all the facets of her life including what she is learning in and out of the classroom.
She continued by saying: 'My family embraces the newness and strives to understand these meaningful organizations in my life as I share my experiences'
Zahara could be seen acknowledging her A-list mother in a video of the speech posted on Facebook
Zahara's emotional tribute to her mother began: 'When asked to speak with you all today on the value of mother-daughter relationships, it felt challenging to find the words. 'Not challenging because I don’t value it, but because my mom and I have a unique, almost kindred, relationship that can be hard to put into words' (they are seen in LA back in September 2021)
The aspiring actress has been estranged from her famous father and had a strained relationship with him ever since her parents split up nearly a decade ago (Pitt is seen holding Zahara's hand in July 2015)
Zahara also said that watching her mother's humanitarian efforts has 'rubbed off' on her and that she has often taken on the 'second mother role' to her siblings.
She is one of Jolie and Pitt's six children as any mention of Pitt was noticeably missing from the speech.
The exes, who fell in love after starring in Mr. and Mrs. Smith together in 2005, also share Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, Shiloh, 19, and 17-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.
Zahara said: 'I loved caring for my younger siblings and mirroring the care and compassion my mom showed us.'
The young woman is the vice president of the Mu Phi chapter of her sorority and said that she has been drawn to leadership roles in school thanks to her famous mother.
Zahara concluded: 'Through my matriculation, I have witnessed the joy and challenges that come with mentorship and the importance of having positive role models. We all know that we do not get where we are solely on our merit.
'I think back to a quote I saw years ago that said, "I am a strong woman because a strong woman raised me." Thank you, Mom.'
Jolie and Pitt were together for about a decade before they tied the knot in 2014 but filed for divorce two years later in 2016.
Zahara also said that watching her mother's humanitarian efforts has 'rubbed off' on her and that she has often taken on the 'second mother role' to her siblings (they are seen in Paris back in December 2024)
Jolie cited irreconcilable differences and later accused Pitt of abusing both her as well as their children, which he has denied.
Their lengthy, contentious divorce battle was finalized eight years later in late 2024 and since then, many of their kids have dropped Pitt's surname amid their ongoing estrangement.
Shiloh also now goes by Shiloh Nouvel Jolie as she filed paperwork to legally remove her estranged dad's surname from her own when she turned 18 in the summer of 2024.
Then in February, Maddox dropped Pitt from his professional credits as he appeared as Maddox Jolie in the production notes for the film Couture and screenings of the movie Maria.
In May 2024, Vivienne was credited as Vivienne Jolie, not Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, on the playbill for The Outsiders, the Broadway musical.
Pitt made a shocking remark about his family after his bitter divorce with Jolie officially came to an end but his fractured relationship with their six children remains unresolved.
Pitt — who believes his relationship with two of his children is 'unfixable' — opened up about how important family is to him — amid his ongoing and escalating estrangement from his kids.
Speaking at the F1 premiere in Mexico City, he said: 'No matter the mistake, you just learn from [it] and move on,' he told ET. 'It'll lead to the next success.'
Pax, Angelina, Zahara, and Maddox are seen together in New York back in September 2024
The Oscar winner continued, 'When you get to my age, you realize how important it is to surround yourself with the people you love, the people that love you back.'
'Friends, family, and that's it," he added. 'From there, we get to go make things. It’s a pretty simple, I think, equation.'
The interview comes after a source exclusively told DailyMail.com how Pitt felt after Pax was pictured last month stumbling out of the Chateau Marmont, propped up by several friends.
'He has zero concern with what Pax does or doesn't do. [Pax's] actions reflect who he is,' the insider said.
'Brad honestly considers his relationship with Pax unfixable,' they added.
The source went on to say that the actor doesn't appear to be planning any outreach to either of his adopted sons: 'Pax and Maddox have made it abundantly clear how they feel, and Brad has nothing to say about either of them.'
As for his other children, the source said that Pitt 'holds out hope that the others will one day come around. Time heals wounds.'
A source close to Jolie also hit back at her ex-husband at the time and said: 'Brad continues to play the victim. His fractured relationship with his children is a direct result of how he has treated them.
'He should stop blaming others. If he wants to rebuild a relationship with the kids, he should acknowledge his own actions and make amends.'

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