Angelina Jolie’s daughter Zahara praised her mother as the most “selfless, loving and understanding woman” whom she “gets to call [her] mom” during a special mother-daughter event over the weekend.
The 21-year-old made the rare comments about the actress during a luncheon hosted by the Pearls of Purpose Foundation and the Nu Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha at Spelman College in Atlanta on Sunday.
“When I was asked today to speak on the value of mother-daughter relationships, it felt challenging to find the words,” Zahara began, per a Facebook video of her touching 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,” she continued.
After noting that the “Eternals” star adopted her from Ethiopia at 6 months old in July 2005, Zahara shared that Jolie raised her and her five siblings “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,” she said.
Zahara went on to touch upon how, after enrolling at Spelman in 2022 and joining Alpha Kappa Alpha in 2023, she found it “challenging” to share special moments with her mom and family now that she was in the public eye.
But that “never stopped” Jolie from “being curious about all that” Zahara learned in and outside the Spelman classrooms and “having many questions about sorority life” and her daughter’s experiences.
“I’m a strong woman because a strong woman raised me,” Zahara concluded her speech. “Thank you, Mom.”
Shortly before her daughter’s remarks about the value of mother-daughter relationships, Jolie took the stage to thank the Pearls of Purpose Foundation and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority for honoring her and Zahara at the special event.
“Thank you for supporting brilliant young minds and for hosting this mother-daughter luncheon and for taking the time to celebrate this very special bond and one of life’s most beautiful relationships,” the 50-year-old actress said, per a clip shared to X.
“So from the bottom of my heart, thank you for allowing us this moment to share together,” she added.
Gizelle Bryant of “Real Housewives of Potomac” fame was also at the luncheon with her daughter Angel, who attends Spelman with Zahara. The pair posed for a pic with Zahara and Jolie, and Gizelle later shared the sweet snap on Instagram.
Jolie and her ex-husband, Brad Pitt, share six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne.
Although the “Wanted” star adopted Maddox, 24, from Cambodia in 2002, followed by Zahara three years later, Pitt legally adopted the pair in December 2005.
Meanwhile, Jolie adopted Pax from Vietnam in 2007 when he was 3 years old. Pitt, 62, went on to adopt Pax one year later.
The former couple, who began dating in 2005 but didn’t marry until 2014, also welcomed daughter Shiloh in 2006, followed by twins Knox and Vivienne in 2008.
However, Jolie and Pitt’s six kids have reportedly distanced themselves from the “Fight Club” star following their parents’ 2016 split and 2024 divorce.
Zahara, who now goes by “Zahara Marley Jolie,” became the former couple’s first child to informally drop the Pitt last name when she joined Alpha Kappa Alpha in November 2023.
Vivienne, 17, did the same when she used the name “Vivienne Jolie” for the Broadway production of “The Outsiders in early 2024.
Shiloh was the first to legally drop Pitt from her last name upon turning 18 in May 2024. The change was officially approved in August 2024.
Maddox also followed suit and informally dropped the Pitt surname earlier this year.
“He will always believe and always hope there is a chance to be back with all of them, and he doesn’t want to think otherwise,” a source said regarding Pitt’s estrangement from his kids in July 2025.
“He doesn’t want to give up, he’s not that kind of guy, he’s not that kind of father. He is a proud father, and he would be happy to have them see that eventually.”