Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, known together as Brangelina, were once Hollywood’s golden couple! They’ve had quite a history; starting all the way back in 2004 when they met on the set of Mr & Mrs Smith and all the way up until the present day where we see them both going through crazy divorce proceedings.
In the midst of it all are their six children. The Jolie-Pitt kids are very tight-knit, and thankfully, they only seem to be growing closer throughout the shared experience of their parents’ divorce.
In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt, the brood’s eldest girl, who has been referred to by Angelina Jolie as the “rock of the family”.
RELATED: Zahara Jolie-Pitt’s Biological Mother Has Reached Out To Reconnect With Her
Who Is Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt?
Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt is the second eldest child of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. She was born on January 8, 2005 in Awasa, Ethiopia, and was adopted by the Hollywood actors from an orphanage when she was just 6-months old. She’s now 14 years old, and besties with Stranger Things star Millie Bobbi Brown!
Zahara’s Adoptive Parents: Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt met in 2004 when they starred in the 2005 film Mr & Mrs Smith. It started out as a scandalous affair: Brad was still married to Jennifer Aniston then, and Angelina was accused of breaking them up.
Angelina claims that she and Brad didn’t start dating until he was divorced: “To be intimate with a married man, when my own father cheated on my mother, is not something I could forgive. I could not look at myself in the morning if I did that. I wouldn’t be attracted to a man who would cheat on his wife.”
Once they were an official couple, they were inseparable. Brad accompanied Angelina to Ethiopia when she first took custody of Zahara. Soon after, Brad officially adopted Zahara as well as Maddox (Angelina’s first adopted child) changing their last names from Jolie to Jolie-Pitt.
Brad and Angelina finally got married in 2014, though they’d split up only two years later. Brad has been open about his struggles as an alcoholic, and there have been rumours that he was verbally abusive to one of his kids during the infamous ‘plane incident’! Currently, Angelina has full physical custody of all six children, though Brad does get visitation rights.
Zahara’s Siblings
Before Zahara, Angelina had already adopted Maddox Chivan from Cambodia. Maddox is now 18 years old and is set to go to college! He’ll be taking biochemistry in Yonsei University, South Korea.
The second eldest sibling is Pax Thien, who was adopted in 2007 from Vietnam. Pax was already four years old when he was adopted. He’s now 15 turning 16 years old, just two years older than Zahara.
Shiloh Nouvel is Angelina and Brad’s first biological child. She was born in 2006 in Namibia, where her famous parents had escaped to avoid the media frenzy. She’s now 13 years old and seems to be very close to her sister Zahara.
The youngest of the Jolie-Pitt children are twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline, born in 2008 in Nice, France. Their baby pictures were sold for a whopping $USD14-millon, becoming the most expensive celebrity photographs ever!
Zahara’s Career
Zahara Pitt initially became known for the death stare that she would give paparazzi. But with her family background, it’s no surprise that she’s already started appearing in TV shows and movies! Her first appearance was in an episode of VH1: All Access that covered 20 Cutest Celebrity Babies in 2006, along with her siblings Maddox and Shiloh!
In the 2014 film Maleficent starring her mother Angelina, Zahara had an uncredited role as one of the royals. Thankfully, she’d be given credit for her next role where she voiced the character Meng Meng in the 2016 animated film Kung Fu Panda 3! Her mum and siblings were also featured in this movie.
What Was Zahara’s Life Like Before Her Adoption?
Who Is Zahara’s Birth Mother?
Zahara was born in Awasa, a city in Central Ethiopia in 2005. Her biological mother is Mentewab Dawit Lebiso, who was only 19 at the time of her birth. She named her baby Yemasrech, which meant “good news” in the native Amharic language.
Yemasrech was conceived when Mentewab was brutally raped one night. Mentewab was terrified that her family would disown her, but her mother was supportive when she couldn’t hide her growing belly anymore.
Why Was Zahara Put Up For Adoption?
There are plenty of conflicting stories about what happened to Mentewab when her baby was put up for adoption. When Angelina adopted Yemasrech/Zahara, she was told that the baby was an AIDS orphan. Angelia had Zahara tested for HIV when she brought her back the US, and Zahara thankfully tested negative.
Mentewab is still alive today, making a living by renting out rooms in her home. When she gave birth, she was very weak and sick, and couldn’t afford to take care of her baby.
Though she would have wanted to keep her child, Mentewab is grateful to Angelina because she saved Zahara’s life and raised her well: “By taking her Angelina has saved my baby’s life and she also saved my life. I will always be very grateful to her for that”. She hopes to be able to meet or at least talk to Zahara one day, and maybe keep in contact with her.
What’s Next For Zahara?
Zahara Jolie-Pitt leads a mostly private life, despite her mega-famous parents. She’s had a couple of film credits, and we’ve seen her older siblings join their mother in her projects. Zahara’s also wants to be a supermodel, and idolises Lupita Nyong’o! The world is definitely her oyster, and we’re excited to see what Zahara makes of it.
RELATED: US report: Shiloh ‘hits back at Ange’
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