Angelina Jolie‘s daughter Zahara celebrated a major milestone on Sunday when she graduated from Spelman College – but she appeared to take a pointed jab at her estranged father Brad Pitt in the process.
The 21-year-old, who was adopted by Jolie, 50, and her then-partner Pitt, 62, in 2005, was filmed walking across the stage at the historically black private women’s college in Atlanta, Georgia, to receive her diploma in a clip from the ceremony.
It was unclear whether either of the nepo baby‘s parents was in the audience to support her, but the graduation ceremony came years into her estrangement from her father.
It also came nearly two weeks after Jolie scored a legal victory in her court battle against Pitt over their $184 million French winery, the Chateau Miraval.
While she has not made as public a spectacle of dropping her father’s last name as some of her siblings – including Maddox, 24; Pax, 22; Shiloh, 19; and 17-year-old fraternal twins Knox and Vivienne – her name was read at the ceremony as Zahara Marley Jolie, rather than as the hyphenated Jolie-Pitt.
She appeared to publicly remove Pitt’s last name for the first time in her Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority initiation ceremony in late 2023.
Angelina Jolie’s daughter Zahara celebrated a major milestone on Sunday when she graduated from Spelman College. Video shared to social media showed her walking across the stage to receive her diploma
Brad Pitt adopted Zahara in 2005, after Jolie had already adopted her. It’s unclear if he attended the graduation ceremony, but his last name was absent from Zahara’s when it was announced
On Reddit, where the video of Zahara graduating was reposted, fans could hardly believe that Zahara was already finished with college.
‘Graduated?! But she just got there!’ one shocked person commented, while another wrote, ‘It’s been 4 years? My goodness time is flying.’
Another person complimented Jolie for raising Zahara and her siblings, with no mention of Pitt.
‘Her kids’ career and educational choices are so diverse, and I love that. It shows that she really supports their interests. She’s a great mom,’ they wrote.
It is not clear exactly what Zahara plans to do after graduation, but she has plenty of options after majoring in psychology, with a minor in educational studies.
She wrapped up her schooling just as her mother advanced plans to leave the US this summer.
Earlier this month, Jolie listed her home, a historic 11,000sq ft Cecil B DeMille estate that was designed in a Beaux-Arts style, for a staggering $29.85 million.
Last month, Zahara made rare public comments about her relationship with her A-list mother in a touching speech that notably failed to mention her estranged father, two-and-a-half years after she began dropping his name.
On Reddit, fans could hardly believe that Zahara was already finished with college. ‘Graduated?! But she just got there!’ one person commented, while another wrote, ‘It’s been 4 years? My goodness time is flying.’ Above, with her mother at last year’s Golden Globes
Last month, Zahara made rare public comments about her relationship with her A-list mother in a touching speech that notably failed to mention her estranged father, two-and-a-half years after she began dropping his name
The 21-year-old college student with Jolie and sister Shiloh Pitt in 2019
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 in April.
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 has had a strained relationship with him ever since her parents split up nearly a decade ago.
In her tribute to her mother, Zahara continued: ‘Our love for each other is a found one. I was adopted at six 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.
Real Housewives of Potomac star Gizelle Bryant (right) posted this group snap with her daughter Angel, with Jolie and Zahara
Zahara could be seen acknowledging her A-list mother in a video of the speech posted on Facebook
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 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 fell in love after starring in Mr and Mrs Smith together in 2005.
Zahara said: ‘I loved caring for my younger siblings and mirroring the care and compassion my mom showed us.’
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’
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 married in 2014 but filed for divorce two years later in 2016.
Jolie cited irreconcilable differences and later accused Pitt of abusing both her and their children, which he has denied.
Their lengthy, contentious divorce battle was finalized 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.
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
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
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.’
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 the Daily Mail 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.
Pax, Jolie, Zahara and Maddox in New York in September 2024
‘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.’
