Angelina Jolie’s daughter Zahara praised her mother as “the most selfless, loving and understanding woman” she could “call mom” at a special mother-daughter event over the weekend.
The 21-year-old made the rare comment about the actress Sunday at a luncheon hosted by the Pearls of Purpose Foundation and the New Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha at Spelman College in Atlanta.
“Today, when I was asked to speak about the importance of the relationship between mothers and daughters, I found it difficult to find the words,” Zahra began in a Facebook video of her moving speech.
“I’m not trying because I don’t value it, but because my mother and I have a unique, almost kinship-like relationship that may be difficult to express in words,” she continued.
After noting that the “Eternals” star adopted Jolie from Ethiopia in July 2005 at six months old, Zahara said Jolie raised her and her five siblings “to value helping others, being kind, and always striving to grow as a person.”
“These values may sound simple, but I am grateful to have role models who showed me what it means to be a decent human being in a world where kindness is looked down upon and helping others comes at a price,” she said.
Zahara went on to mention how she found it “rewarding” to share special moments with her mother and family now that she’s in the public eye after enrolling at Spelman in 2022 and joining Alpha Kappa Alpha in 2023.
However, Jolie was “interested in everything” Zahara learned in and out of the Spelman classroom and had “many questions about sorority life and her daughter’s experiences.”
“I am a strong woman because strong women raised me,” Zahara concluded her speech. “Thank you, Mom.”
Moments before her daughter spoke out about the importance of the mother-daughter relationship, Jolie took to the stage to thank the Pearls of Purpose Foundation and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority for honoring her and Zahara with a special event.
“Thank you for supporting these talented young people, hosting this mother-daughter luncheon, and taking the time to celebrate this special bond and one of life’s most beautiful relationships,” the 50-year-old actress said, according to footage shared with X.
“So I’m grateful from the bottom of my heart to share this moment with you,” she added.
Gisele Bryant of “The Real Housewives of Potomac” fame also attended the luncheon with her daughter Angel, who attends Spelman with Zahara. The pair posed for a photo with Zahara and Jolie, and Gisele later shared the sweet snap on Instagram.
Jolie and ex-husband Brad Pitt have six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne.
The “Wanted” star adopted Maddox, 24, from Cambodia, in 2002, followed by Zahara three years later, but Pitt legally adopted the pair in December 2005.
Meanwhile, Jolie adopted Pax from Vietnam in 2007 when he was three years old. Pitt, 62, adopted Pax a year later.
The former couple, who started dating in 2005 but didn’t marry until 2014, had daughter Shiloh in 2006, followed by twins Knox and Vivian in 2008.
However, Jolie and Pitt’s six children have reportedly distanced themselves from the Fight Club star following their parents’ separation in 2016 and divorce in 2024.
Zahara, who now goes by “Zahara Marley Jolie,” is the first child of the former couple, who unofficially dropped the Pitt last name when they joined Alpha Kappa Alpha in November 2023.
The 17-year-old did the same when she used the name “Vivienne Jolie” in The Outsiders, which opened on Broadway in early 2024.
Shiloh will become the first woman to legally remove Pitt from her last name when she turns 18 in May 2024. The changes were officially approved in August 2024.
Maddox followed suit, unofficially dropping the Pitt surname earlier this year.
A source said of Pitt’s estrangement from his children in July 2025: “He always believes and hopes that he has a chance to get back together with everyone. He doesn’t want to think otherwise.”
“He doesn’t want to give up. He’s not that kind of guy and he’s not that kind of father. He’s a proud father and ultimately that’s what he wants them to see.”
