Angelina Jolie's daughter reflects on upbringing after disowning dad Brad Pitt

Angelina Jolie just got a rare and deeply personal shoutout from her daughter.

Zahara Jolie praised the Oscar-winning actress during a mother-daughter luncheon at Spelman College in Atlanta on Sunday, April 26, calling her the most “selfless, loving and understanding woman” she’s proud to call mom.

“When I was asked today to speak on the value of mother-daughter relationships, it felt challenging to find the words,” Zahara began in her speech. “Not challenging because I don’t value it, but because my mom and I have a unique, almost kindred relationship that could be hard to put into words.”

Zahara reflected on her upbringing, noting that Jolie raised her and her siblings with a strong emphasis on kindness and helping others. Adopted from Ethiopia as an infant, she said those lessons have shaped who she is today.

“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,” she shared.

Now studying at Spelman and navigating life in the public eye, Zahara admitted balancing those worlds hasn’t always been easy. Still, she said her mom has remained deeply involved, always curious and supportive.

“I’m a strong woman because a strong woman raised me,” she concluded. “Thank you, Mom.”

Jolie shares six children — Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne — with ex-husband Brad Pitt. The former couple split in 2016 and finalised their divorce in 2024, though they remain embroiled in a legal battle over their shared properties.

Several of their children have made headlines for distancing themselves from Pitt, including Zahara, who now goes by Zahara Marley Jolie, and Shiloh, who legally dropped Pitt from her last name in 2024.