Zahara Jolie Has Totally Transformed

Angelina Jolie's six kids live glamorous lives these days, but Zahara Jolie's future looked much different before the Oscar-winning actor and humanitarian transformed it into one of endless possibilities. Based on Zahara's strong bond with her mom, she clearly appreciates the life of privilege Angelina has provided her and her siblings with, and she's growing up to be an awful lot like her mother — in the best possible ways.

Angelina first met Zahara in 2005 at the Wide Horizons for Children orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She was accompanied by her partner at the time, Brad Pitt, and Zahara's future older brother, Maddox Jolie-Pitt. One staff member at the orphanage told Star Magazine that it was love at first sight for Maddox, who may have influenced his mom's decision to adopt then-5-month-old Zahara. "When Maddox looked at the baby, he blew a kiss as if he was saying that was the girl who he wanted for his sister," recalled Sister Lete Brham.

Pitt officially adopted Zahara in 2006, the same year she became an older sister to Shiloh Jolie. Along with the rest of the Jolie-Pitt six-pack, the sisters were eventually introduced to the more glamorous side of their mother's Hollywood career, and it didn't take Zahara long to conquer the red carpet. However, while Angelina fans have loved seeing her daughter develop an interest in wearing designer dresses and attending posh premieres, there's so much more to Zahara's transformation.

Angelina Jolie was originally led to believe that Zahara Jolie's birth mother died from AIDS. In a June 2006 appearance on "Anderson Cooper 360," Angelina said Zahara was tested for HIV during the adoption process, adding that a positive result would not have changed her mind about welcoming the infant to her family. However, upon learning Zahara didn't have the virus, Angelina admitted, "To be honest, it was a relief."

Unfortunately, Zahara faced other health challenges as an infant. "Her skin, you could squeeze it, it stuck together," Angelina said in a "Good Morning America" interview (via People). She revealed that Zahara's condition was so bad that Maddox, who was 4 at the time of her adoption, realized she needed help. As for Brad Pitt, he told Parade, "I know she would not be alive [if she hadn't been adopted]. I know what care was available to her, and it was nil." A doctor who treated Zahara told People she spent a week in an NYC hospital recovering from salmonella shortly after her parents took her home.

Thankfully, her health improved, but Zahara's adoption story got complicated when it was revealed that her biological mother, Mentewab Dawit Lebiso, was still alive. In 2007, Lebiso told Reuters she got pregnant after being sexually assaulted. She tried to care for Zahara after she was born but recalled, "She became malnourished and was even unable to cry." Lebiso eventually left her infant daughter with her mother, who placed Zahara up for adoption when Lebiso disappeared. "I was desperate and decided to run away, rather than see my child dying," Lebiso explained.

Zahara Jolie traveled a lot as a toddler, often because of her parents' careers. In March 2007, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were photographed taking a stroll down a New Orleans street with Zahara and Shiloh Jolie, who were seated in a double stroller. The Jolie-Pitts had jetted off to The Big Easy so Pitt could shoot "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." When Angelina Jolie had to be in Prague to film the action flick "Wanted," a few months later, 2-year-old Zahara attended school at the U.S. Embassy there.

Because Zahara's family was her world at that time in her life, it's only natural that they became one of her earliest sources of style inspiration. In June 2007, she was spotted rocking what appeared to be the same Black Sabbath T-shirt Maddox Jolie-Pitt had previously stepped out in. That September, the paparazzi also snagged snapshots of Zahara toting a mini version of her mom's white Valentino purse.

In addition to developing a taste for fashion, toddler Zahara discovered that she had a sweet tooth, and she was willing to lie to satisfy it. In a 2007 Marie Claire interview, Angelina recounted an exchange she had with her daughter after denying her request for a cookie. "She says, 'Daddy gonna cry.' I ask, 'Why is Daddy going to cry?' 'Daddy wants me to have a cookie!'" Angelina recalled (via People). "She's just that smart."

In 2009, Angelina Jolie got mommy-shamed because some people thought Zahara Jolie's hair always looked messy. "Zahara Jolie-Pitt Deserves Better Hair Care" writer Allison Samuels titled a Newsweek op-ed about Zahara's untamed mane. However, in a piece for The Daily Beast, Samuels had previously criticized Angelina for going too far by turning to Beyoncé's hair stylist, Kim Kimble, for help meeting Zahara's hair care needs. Unfortunately, the public probably didn't see much of Kimble's work. "You do [Zahara's] hair, she takes it out," Angelina told Marie Claire in her 2007 interview.

Zahara had more important things to focus on than how her hair looked, anyway. In 2009, she made her first trek back to Ethiopia. "The trip was about keeping up that culture for her," a source told People. That same year, her parents' Jolie-Pitt Foundation opened a clinic there to treat kids living with HIV and named it in her honor: the Zahara Children's Center.

There was probably one item Zahara insisted on packing for her trip. "Zizi has a blanket that was once actually pink, but now is the dirtiest shade of brown you can imagine," Jolie told Hello! in 2008 (via Celebitchy). When the fam arrived in Cannes that year, Zahara was cradling it in her arms.

Zahara Jolie and Shiloh Jolie seem to have a close relationship, and they reportedly relied on each other for moral support when they decided they wanted to rock big-girl earrings in 2011. However, Zahara was not a fan of the piercing gun. "She was saying it felt like a stapler," a source told The Sun (via Us Weekly). The insider added that Zahara cried so hard that Shiloh backed out of getting her ears pierced. So, when the siblings went on a playdate with Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale's sons Kingston and Zuma not long afterward, Shiloh couldn't rock some stylish studs like the ones her older sister was spied wearing for the occasion. 

It soon became evident that Zahara was all about the accessories. While out in New Orleans with her family in 2012, she was photographed rocking hoop earrings, a beaded necklace, and a large red flower in her hair. However, what really stood out were her neon blue braids.

In addition to practicing self-expression with her styling choices, Zahara was learning to express herself using nothing but her eyes. A supposed former nanny for the Jolie-Pitt kids told In Touch (via Jezebel) that Zahara had quite the "death stare." The gossipy ex-employee further shared, "Zee is the leader of the kids. She's taught all of them how to act out and get the biggest reactions." While Zahara possibly possessed the vocal volume to get her siblings to listen to her, Angelina made it sound like her little angel would only use her powers for good. "Zahara's got an extraordinary voice and is just so elegant and well spoken," the proud mom told Vanity Fair in 2010.

While Angelina Jolie was speaking to Vanity Fair in 2014, then-9-year-old Zahara Jolie adorably crashed the interview to whisper some breaking news to her mom. "She said Mad and his girlfriend are kissing," Angelina then told her interviewer (Maddox was 13 at the time). Zahara was apparently at that age when the concept of kissing was gross. That same year, one of Brad Pitt's pals described a saccharine scene he witnessed during a visit to the Jolie-Pitt estate. "Zahara walked up and said, 'Daddy, you're not going to start making out with Mommy again, are you?'" the friend recalled to Esquire.

When Zahara wasn't busy trying to save her family members from getting cooties, she was toying with the idea of picking up her mom's profession. Her first movie role was a tiny uncredited part in Angelina's 2014 Disney movie "Maleficent." During the christening scene, she and her younger brother Pax can briefly be seen in the crowd, and Zahara does a pretty amazing job of looking terrified of her mother's menacing character. "I had to walk by them being very mean," Angelina recalled to Entertainment Weekly. "Of course, I wanted to stop and wink at them."

When Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie tied the knot in 2014, Zahara Jolie served as a flower girl along with Vivienne. Walking down an aisle with a roomful of eyes on you can be nerve-racking, but for Zahara, tossing flower petals on the floor at her parents' wedding likely paled in comparison to the experience of attending the Kids' Choice Awards with Angelina and Shiloh the following year. After all, she was the daughter of Hollywood royalty, so she couldn't exactly blend in with the crowd. She also couldn't hide her excitement when her mom's best villain won for "Maleficent."

Angelina continued making family-friendly fare for her kids to enjoy by lending her voice to "Kung Fu Panda 3." She invited her children to voice some minor characters in the 2016 animated film, and Zahara played the role of the bow-wearing panda Meng Meng. While it was her second movie experience, it didn't mean that she had caught the acting bug. Of what Zahara, Pax, Shiloh, and Knox were like in the recording studio, Angelina told ET, "They were kind of shy. They don't really want to be actors, but I didn't want them to miss the opportunity. They came in, and they had a lot of fun with it."

In early 2017, Zahara Jolie's biological mom expressed interest in getting to know her. Mentewab Dawit Lebiso told the Daily Mail that she hadn't spoken to Zahara since she was adopted. "I just want her to know that I am alive and here and long to be able to speak with her ... I would like Zahara to know she has a mother who loves her as much as Angelina," she said.

While Lebiso was hoping that Zahara and Angelina Jolie would heed her plea and establish contact with her, Zahara was busy demonstrating her unwavering support for the woman she's always known as "mom." At the 2017 Toronto premiere of "The Breadwinner," which Angelina produced, Zahara also displayed a willingness to take fashion risks. She showed up in a look that the less sartorially adventurous might find too difficult to pull off: tan suede booties and a black-and-white sheath dress with a red lace overlay. Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne also posed for photos with their mom at the event, but they weren't quite as dressed up as Zahara.

Hopefully, Lebiso didn't read Angelina's 2017 Hello! interview, as it undoubtedly would have left her bittersweet about not having Zahara in her life. Angelina told the outlet that nothing makes her happier than hearing her daughter laugh, saying, "She is one of those people who laughs with her whole body. Completely open and full of joy."

Zahara Jolie turned her passion for accessories into a business venture in 2019. At age 14, she collaborated with Robert Procop on her own jewelry line, the Zahara Collection. The collab came just in time for the Hollywood premiere of "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil," where Zahara wore a ring, bracelet, and earrings from the line. The black dress she chose for the event definitely would have won Mal's approval — its strapless neckline curved up at the sides to create horn-like points. Her hair was styled in ombré braids that faded from black to white, and they were partially pulled up in a high bun.

Zahara really upped her fashion game while helping her mom promote the "Maleficent" sequel. She made multiple red-carpet appearances, and her looks were always nods to Angelina Jolie's character. The green and black ombré gown she wore to the film's Rome premiere brought to mind the Mistress of Evil's swirling magic, and the black and silver tulle frock she rocked for the London premiere was a villainous take on the princess dress; it was all hard angles but still voluminous like a ball gown.

In 2019, we also learned that Zahara and Shiloh Jolie were friends with Millie Bobby Brown, who shares their mom's experience playing a powerful female character with dangerous powers. During a lunch outing at Mel's Diner in LA, Zahara and the "Stranger Things" star were spotted walking hand-in-hand.

In 2020, Angelina Jolie had high praise for Zahara during a TIME 100 Talks discussion with climate activist Vanessa Nakate. "I have learned so much from her ... She is an extraordinary African woman and her connection to her country, her continent, is her own, and it's something I only stand back in awe of," Angelina gushed. That same year, Angelina was discussing how chaotic life in her home can be when she told E! News that the then-15-year-old possessed excellent organizational skills. She was also growing into a compassionate, caring young woman, which Angelina discovered in early 2020.

In a TIME essay, Angelina revealed that Zahara had to undergo multiple surgeries for an undisclosed medical issue. While she was recovering, Shiloh Jolie ended up needing hip surgery. "I saw how all my girls so easily stopped everything and put each other first, and felt the joy of being of service to those they love," she wrote. Witnessing this warmed Jolie's heart during a difficult time, but Zahara's surgery became a teachable moment for the mom in a sad way. "A nurse told me to call them if her skin turned pink," she recalled during another TIME interview. Angelina pointed to this as an example of how people with darker skin are affected by medical bias. Such language being used by the medical community isn't just an example of a hurtful microaggression; it can cause potentially dangerous misdiagnoses. 

By 2021, it was becoming increasingly evident that Zahara Jolie enjoyed getting all glammed up for red-carpet events. She attended another flurry of them ahead of the release of Angelina Jolie's Marvel movie "Eternals," and she even borrowed one of her mom's most famous gowns for the Los Angeles premiere. Proving that she shares Angelina's elegant, sophisticated sense of style, she wore her 2014 Academy Awards dress, an Elie Saab design covered with silver beading. Angelina was excited that her daughter was starting to find some of the looks in her fashion archive appealing. "I'm like, 'Oh my god, wear it and wear it better than me! Take it, it's your turn,'" Angelina told E! News.

While Zahara is probably going to inherit an impressive fashion haul from her mom, more importantly, Angelina has passed her humanitarian torch onto her oldest daughter. In 2021, Zahara joined her mom in Washington, D.C., where they participated in discussions about how to improve the Violence Against Women Act. The following year, they headed back to Capitol Hill to advocate on behalf of crime victims and push for the passage of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. On Instagram, Angelina wrote that she was "glad to share in the advocacy with Zahara."

When Angelina launched her Atelier Jolie label in 2023, Zahara proved that even fashion can benefit from the eye of a budding young activist. Angelina told Vogue that Zahara has a difficult time finding clothing in nude colors that complement her dark skin, so Angelina included some in her line. "Obviously, as a white woman, I've never had this experience," she admitted. "It never crossed my mind until we went shopping together and I saw that there's so much room for improvement."

In 2022, Angelina Jolie announced that Zahara Jolie would be attending Spelman College, an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) in Georgia. Zahara later pledged to the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, which includes former VP Kamala Harris among its members. When she introduced herself to her sorority sisters in 2023, Zahara revealed that she had dropped Brad Pitt's surname. "My name is Zahara Marley Jolie. And [I] landed all the way from the Golden State in the city full of angels: Los Angeles, California," she said while showing off a few impressive dance moves (via Essence).

Amid Angelina's long and messy divorce, Zahara was never seen with Pitt, sparking speculation that she no longer has a relationship with him. Their lack of public appearances together clearly is unrelated to Zahara shunning the spotlight, as she has continued to show up at events with her mom year after year. However, Angelina told E! News she doesn't believe Zahara and her siblings will pursue acting careers. "I think they're especially shy, very private people," she explained.

When Zahara accompanied Angelina to the 2025 Golden Globes, she wouldn't join her mom on-camera with ET to show off her white Alexander McQueen dress adorned with a tree branch design. "She's hiding over there because you're live," said Angelina. Luckily, if Zahara continues following in her mother's activist footsteps, there's plenty of work she can do behind the scenes.