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Brad Pitt’s daughter drops his name as she proudly joins historic sorority

The omission raised questions about whether Pitt has become estranged from his oldest daughter after Angelina Jolie made explosive domestic violence allegations against him last year

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 27:  Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Vivienne Jolie-Pitt attend the "Eternals" UK Premiere at the BFI IMAX Waterloo on October 27, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 27: Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Vivienne Jolie-Pitt attend the “Eternals” UK Premiere at the BFI IMAX Waterloo on October 27, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)
Martha Ross, Features writer for the Bay Area News Group is photographed for a Wordpress profile in Walnut Creek, Calif., on Thursday, July 28, 2016. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)
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Has Brad Pitt fallen out of favor with another of his six children with Angelina Jolie?

People online began to wonder when they noticed that Pitt and Jolie’s oldest daughter, Zahara Jolie-Pitt, conspicuously failed to mention his last name when she proudly declared herself a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Spelman College in Atlanta, Page Six reported. 

Essence magazine shared a clip of Zahara at the sorority’s induction ceremony this week, with the caption: “The first Black sorority just gained a very familiar face as a member!”

But in introducing herself to her sorority, Zahara appeared to shout “Zahara Marley Jolie.” The 18-year-old was adopted from Ethiopia in 2005, first by Jolie as a single mother and then by Jolie and Pitt together when they became a couple. She has has long been known as “Zahara Jolie-Pitt,” but that’s not how she identified herself at the ceremony.

FILES - A picture taken 12 November 2006 shows US actors Angelina Jolie (L), daughter Zahara (2L), husband Brad Pitt (R) and son Maddox taking a stroll on the seafront promenade in Mumbai. British tabloid "Sun" reports in its edition from 15 November 2007 that Mentewab Dawit, biological mother of adopted Ethiopian child Zahara, claims back her two-years old daughter. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP via Getty Images)
FILES – A picture taken 12 November 2006 shows US actors Angelina Jolie (L), daughter Zahara (2L), husband Brad Pitt (R) and son Maddox taking a stroll on the seafront promenade in Mumbai. British tabloid “Sun” reports in its edition from 15 November 2007 that Mentewab Dawit, biological mother of adopted Ethiopian child Zahara, claims back her two-years old daughter. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP via Getty Images) 

The omission raised questions online about whether she, too, has become estranged from her famous father, after her mother made explosive domestic violence allegations against him in their ongoing divorce battle.

Last year, Jolie alleged that Pitt mistreated her and their six children during a long and tense private plane ride from Europe in September 2016, which prompted her to file for divorce and put an end to their high-profile union. In court documents, Jolie alleged that an intoxicated, out-of-control Pitt choked one of their children on the plane ride and struck another across the face as he terrorized his entire family for hours on the flight to Los Angeles.

Following their split, Pitt and Jolie publicly and viciously fought over the custody of their six children, as well as the sale of the French winery they purchased together in 2008. In addition to Zahara, Jolie and Pitt also share Maddox, 22, Pax, 19, Shiloh, 17, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 15.

As the children reach adulthood, the custody case seems to have died down. A recent Vogue profile of Jolie made it sound as though Pitt doesn’t have much of a role in their children’s lives, as it refers to Jolie as a “single mother of six.” In recent years, the children have been seen in public only with their mother.


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Reports also have said that Pitt became estranged from Maddox after the famous plane ride and may have a strained relationship with Pax. Us Weekly also reported that Maddox no longer uses Pitt’s last name on documents and instead just uses Jolie.

If Pitt has become estranged from one or more of his children, he has reportedly found solace in his work and in his first serious relationship since his divorce. Earlier this week, People reported that the romance between Pitt and Ines de Ramon, a jewelry designer, is “going strong.” Pitt, according to a source, also has begun to introduce Ramon, 33, as “his girlfriend.”

“It’s great to see him in a good place. Ines makes him very happy,” the source told People.

Still, the possible sidelining of Pitt by his oldest daughter has people wondering about the state of that relationship. One person, commenting on the Essence post, said that Zahara probably doesn’t “claim her adoptive daddy anymore” because of his alcohol problems and his alleged abuse of Jolie. “Hope they can rekindle things one day,” the person said.

Another person said, “Since the nasty divorce, mum and dad been fighting and the kids have been siding with (Angie).”

Pitt was open about addressing his alcohol and anger management problems in interviews as he campaigned to win his first Academy Award in 2020 for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” The FBI investigated the plane incident “thoroughly” and chose  “not to bring any charges” against Pitt, a source told Page Six in 2022.

Sources close to Pitt strongly denied the domestic violence allegations, saying they were part of a “smear campaign” by Jolie to gain an advantage in the custody battle.

Pitt has said little about his relationship with his children in recent years, Page Six reported. But when Zahara began her freshman year at Spelman College in 2022, Pitt congratulated her.

“She’s so smart,” Pitt told Vanity Fair at the time. “She’s going to flourish even more at college. It’s an exciting and beautiful time to find her own way and pursue her interests. I’m so proud.”