Heartbreaking Details About Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s Daughter Zahara

This article mentions sexual assault.

As the daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Zahara Jolie-Pitt is Hollywood royalty. However, their high-profile status hasn’t shielded their oldest daughter from pain. Jolie and Pitt’s prolonged divorce has significantly impacted Zahara and her five siblings. Jolie has accused Pitt of violent behavior but has been constrained from revealing specifics due to ongoing court battles.

Details suggest many, if not all, of Jolie and Pitt’s children have sided with their mother. Reports indicate that Zahara, along with siblings Maddox, Pax, and even Shiloh, who was once close to Pitt, have cut ties with their father. “He has virtually no contact with the adult kids,” a source told People in July 2024.

In addition to her strained relationship with her father, Zahara has faced racial bias in the U.S. Her early life before adoption in July 2005 was also marred by trauma. Zahara’s birth mother was a rape victim who initially decided to keep the baby but later abandoned her. Despite her tumultuous beginnings, Zahara has overcome considerable adversity.

Zahara’s life began in stark contrast to the privilege she now knows. Her biological mother, Mentewab Dawit Lebiso, became pregnant after being sexually assaulted by a stranger. Mentewab was attacked by a man who pulled a dagger and covered her mouth to stifle her screams.

Mentewab kept her pregnancy a secret, fearing societal ostracization. Her mother, however, supported her and encouraged her to keep the baby, though Mentewab struggled post-birth. Unable to breastfeed and despondent, she fled, leaving Zahara with her mother, who then put her up for adoption. In 2006, Jolie appeared unaware of this backstory, believing Zahara’s mother had died of AIDS.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Zahara has had no contact with her biological family since Jolie adopted her at 6 months old. In 2017, Mentewab told the Daily Mail she wanted to speak with Zahara, emphasizing she did not wish to reclaim her but only to have contact.

Mentewab dismissed reports suggesting custody battles and expressed gratitude for the life Jolie gave Zahara. However, she continued to hope for some form of connection, desiring that Zahara know about her roots in Ethiopia.

Zahara did visit Ethiopia and even met with the country’s first female president in 2019. However, it’s uncertain if she reached out to her birth family during that visit.

Despite being removed from early violence, Zahara hasn’t been immune to domestic turmoil. Angelina Jolie has accused Brad Pitt of abusive behavior, allegations that gained credence during a 2016 flight incident that led to their separation. Following this, Zahara has become distanced from Pitt.

Zahara hinted at this estrangement during her sorority induction at Spelman College in November 2023, where she introduced herself as “Zahara Marley Jolie.” Her brother Pax, who also has a strained relationship with Pitt, suggested Pitt had been violent toward Zahara and her siblings.

Evidence suggests Zahara hasn’t had a father figure for a long time, evidenced by her and her siblings’ actions, like Shiloh legally removing Pitt’s last name upon turning 18.

None of the Jolie-Pitt children have publicly discussed their experiences with Pitt. However, as four of them are now adults, they could choose to share their side of the story. Pitt reportedly fears this possibility, feeling he can muzzle Jolie but not his children.

Documents from their legal disputes indicate Pitt forced Jolie to agree to NDAs to buy her silence about their marriage. However, he cannot enforce such agreements on their kids without potential lawsuits.

While the kids have mostly stayed out of the limelight, Jolie claimed in 2020 that half of them wanted to testify against Pitt in their custody battle. Though they didn’t testify, they were reportedly heard in some capacity.

Zahara experienced racial bias in the medical community during a post-surgery period. Jolie revealed that she received poor advice due to the assumption her daughter had lighter skin.

This incorrect advice could have led to significant complications. Jolie noted that medical charts often use white skin as the reference point, causing potential issues for patients with darker skin. Zahara, despite her white parents, maintains a strong connection to her Black roots.

She has embraced her natural hair’s texture and chosen Spelman College, a historically Black institution, and joined Alpha Kappa Alpha, the oldest Black sorority. Her culturally conscious choices have been widely celebrated.