• Zahara Marley Jolie graduated from Spelman College on May 17 with Angelina Jolie and siblings present — Brad Pitt did not attend
• Sources say Pitt made no contact with Zahara or the school about obtaining a ticket ahead of the ceremony
• Zahara’s name was read aloud as “Zahara Marley Jolie” at graduation, not the hyphenated Jolie-Pitt listed in the program
• Four of Pitt’s six kids — Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne, and Maddox — have now dropped his last name in various public contexts
• Days after the graduation, Pitt stepped out for a PDA-filled date night with girlfriend Ines de Ramon at a Mercedes-AMG event in LA

Zahara Marley Jolie walked across the stage at Spelman College on Sunday, May 17, diploma in hand, surrounded by her mother and siblings — and without her father anywhere in sight. Brad Pitt, sources say, didn’t just skip the ceremony. He never even reached out.

According to TMZ, Pitt made no contact with Zahara or anyone at the school about securing a ticket to the graduation. A source close to Angelina Jolie put it plainly: “Nothing prevented him from showing up for her. Or ever visiting her. The day was about all she accomplished. Not whether he was willing to attend.”

Jolie was in Atlanta for the full celebration weekend, cheering on her eldest daughter alongside sons Pax, 22, and Knox, 17. The 21-year-old earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology — and, as The Daily Mail noted, a minor in educational studies — from the historically Black college in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s a genuine achievement, and by all accounts the day was filled with joy for the Jolie side of the family.

Sources connected to Pitt offered a different framing for his silence. They told TMZ that the actor has become so estranged from his kids — in large part due to animosity connected to his split from Jolie — that any outreach on his part would have been “unwelcome.” The distance, those sources say, hasn’t cooled.

A Name That Says Everything

The moment that landed hardest wasn’t his absence — it was the name called over the loudspeaker. While Spelman’s official commencement program listed her as Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt, the name read aloud as she crossed the stage was simply: Zahara Marley Jolie.

It wasn’t the first time. Zahara introduced herself as Zahara Marley Jolie when she joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority in November 2023. In April 2026, she went by Zahara Jolie at the Pearls of Purpose Foundation’s mother-daughter brunch — where she also delivered a speech about her mother that, by multiple accounts, moved people in the room to tears. She spoke about Angelina’s compassion, her humanitarian work, her unwavering strength. She didn’t mention her father.

Zahara is far from alone among her siblings. Shiloh has filed legal documents to remove Pitt from her name. Vivienne used Vivienne Jolie in the credits of the Broadway production of The Outsiders. Maddox, now 24, has gone by Jolie in professional credits as well, including his work as a production assistant on his mother’s Netflix project Maria. That’s four of Pitt’s six children who have, in one form or another, publicly stepped away from his name.

Sources told People back in 2024 that Pitt has “virtually no contact” with his adult kids. A separate insider told Us Weekly that despite “several efforts to reconnect,” his relationships with all six children remain “strained” — and that it “has caused him a lot of heartbreak.” He reportedly “carries a deep emotional weight” about his family.

Moving On, Red Carpet in Hand

Two days after the graduation, Brad Pitt was on a red carpet in Los Angeles — hand in hand with girlfriend Ines de Ramon.

The couple attended the Mercedes-AMG world premiere at Sixth Street Bridge on Tuesday night, posing together and looking very much like two people having a good evening. Pitt, 62, wore a suit. De Ramon, 33, turned heads in a strapless red dress. The smiles looked easy.

The pair have been together since 2022, and by all accounts the relationship has become something real and steady. A source previously described it as “serious,” and Us Weekly reported that de Ramon was a grounding presence for Pitt during the final stretch of his years-long legal battle with Jolie, which was formally resolved in 2024.

A source close to Pitt pushed back on the narrative surrounding the graduation, telling Page Six: “It’s a shame people feel the need to cast a shadow over [the graduation] by taking a dig at a father who has already been separated from his family.”

Pitt and Jolie split in 2016 after more than a decade together — they met on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, married in 2014, and their separation set off years of custody disputes and legal fights, including a bitter battle over their Château Miraval winery that ended with Jolie selling her stake to the Stoli Group for a reported $67 million, a move Pitt later challenged in court.

After the divorce, Pitt acknowledged he had made mistakes he wanted to learn from and move past. He’s since channeled some of his paternal energy elsewhere — sources told RadarOnline that he has taken his role in the lives of late friend Chris Cornell’s children seriously, finding in those relationships “the kind of connection his own kids have denied him.”

Meanwhile, Zahara has her degree. She’s 21, she’s a psychology graduate, and when her name was called at Spelman College, it was the name she chose for herself.

The post Brad Pitt Skips Zahara’s Graduation, Steps Out With Ines appeared first on Cream.

• Zahara Jolie, 21, graduated from Spelman College on May 17 with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology
• She was introduced on stage as Zahara Marley Jolie, confirming she has dropped Brad Pitt’s surname
• Angelina Jolie was in the crowd; Brad Pitt was not seen in any footage from the ceremony
• Several of Zahara’s siblings — including Shiloh, Vivienne, and Maddox — have also dropped the Pitt name
• Weeks earlier, Zahara called Angelina “the most selfless, loving and understanding woman” at a sorority event

Zahara Jolie is a college graduate. The 21-year-old walked across the stage at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia on May 17, accepting her diploma — and doing it entirely on her own terms.

She was introduced as Zahara Marley Jolie, as seen in footage circulating on social media, seemingly making official what fans had long suspected: she has dropped her father Brad Pitt’s surname. Angelina Jolie was in the crowd to watch the moment. Brad was not seen in any footage from the ceremony, and it’s unclear whether he was present.

Videos show Zahara all smiles, running across the stage after earning her Bachelor of Arts in psychology — four years after she first arrived at the historic HBCU in 2022. When Angelina shared a photo of Zahara with her Spelman classmates that year, she wrote on Instagram: “Zahara with her Spelman sisters! Congratulations to all new students starting this year. A very special place and an honor to have a family member as a new Spelman girl.”

A Name That’s Been Hers for a While

The name Zahara Marley Jolie isn’t new — it’s the name she’s been stepping into for years. When she joined the Mu Pi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Spelman back in 2023, she introduced herself on video as “Zahara Marley Jolie.” Saturday’s graduation just made it undeniable.

She’s not alone among her siblings. Shiloh filed court documents on her 18th birthday to legally remove “Pitt” from her last name. Vivienne has also dropped the surname, and Maddox — the eldest of Angelina’s six children — has long gone by Jolie as well. Brad and Angelina’s divorce, which began in 2016, was only legally finalized in December 2024.

What Zahara Said About Her Mom

The graduation comes just weeks after Zahara gave a deeply personal tribute to Angelina at the Pearls of Purpose Foundation Scholarship Mother Daughter Luncheon on April 26 — a sorority event that had plenty of people reaching for tissues.

“It felt challenging to find the words,” she said in her speech. “Not challenging because I don’t value it, but because my mom and I have a unique, almost kindred relationship that can be hard to put into words.”

She went further, reflecting on her adoption and her upbringing. “I was adopted at six months old, and given some of the most special and loving people as my siblings with a mom who raised us on the value of helping others, being kind and always striving for growth as people.” She called Angelina “the most selfless, loving and understanding woman” — and said having a famous parent could’ve made navigating college complicated, but that she found her footing anyway.

Angelina, for her part, has spoken about Zahara with equal reverence. “She is my family, but she is an extraordinary African woman,” she told Time. “Her connection to her country, her continent, is her own and it’s something I only stand back in awe of.”

Zahara was born in Ethiopia and adopted in 2005. She is the second eldest of Angelina’s children, who also include Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, Shiloh, 18, and 17-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

Zahara Marley Jolie. Psychology degree in hand. Whatever comes next is entirely hers.

The post Zahara Jolie Graduates From Spelman College appeared first on Cream.