Brad Pitt Is Reportedly Upset About Rumors Surrounding His Absence From Daughter's Graduation

Brad Pitt in F1.
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Brad Pitt finalized his divorce from ex-wife Angelina Jolie in December 2024 after years of being engaged in legal proceedings with her. Since then, the two actors have reportedly moved into different chapters of their lives but, simultaneously, they remain linked due to their children. Jolie (50) and Pitt (62) share six children, and it’s been alleged that the latter is estranged from the kids. Now, following Pitt’s absence from his daughter’s graduation, an insider is making claims about Pitt’s feelings on rumors swirling around him.

Jolie and Pitt’s daughter, Zahara (21), graduated from Spelman College on Sunday, May 17 and her mother and several of her siblings were present for the ceremony in Atlanta. After the event, insiders alleged that Pitt’s estrangement from his child was still in effect. Yet Daily Mail also noted that Pitt purportedly could’ve attended the graduation if he’d wanted to, as nothing reportedly prevented him from being there. A source close to the F1 actor claimed he wasn’t pleased with the speculation surrounding him, saying:

You can’t have it both ways – to promote a complete estrangement and then criticise someone for not going to an event when you’ve made sure that they would not be welcome. That’s not a situation which he created.

Zahara Marley Jolie (21) committed to Spelman College in 2022 and, at the time, Jolie celebrated her daughter’s enrollment with a social media post. The Maria star was also present when Zahara formally pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Simultaneously, fans also noticed that Pitt didn’t attend the event, sparking rumors about where the Oscar winner stood with his kids. Reports on Pitt’s relationship with his kids have varied over the years and, another source now claims he remains distant from them due to their mother:

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There has been a campaign of alienation [by Jolie] which has been successful. The antagonism is huge. He has been alienated from the kids completely. It is devastating to him.

Rumors about an alleged “campaign of alienation” come years after Angelina Jolie’s lawsuit against Brad Pitt. In 2021, the Academy Award-winning actress accused Pitt of physically and verbally abusing her and their children while having an outburst on a plane in 2016. Pitt and his legal team have since denied those allegations. By 2022, however, it was still reported that Pitt had a “pretty good” relationship with his kids and that he’d have dinner with the younger ones. Aside from Zahara, he and Jolie share Maddox Chivan (24), Pax (22), Shiloh (19) and twins Knox and Vivienne (18).

In the years that followed, there were familial developments that seemed to suggest the children weren’t so close to Pitt. Aside from his absence from Zahara’s sorority induction, many also took note of Shiloh legally dropping Pitt’s last name. Zahara also doesn’t use his father’s surname. Despite the purported distance between the father and his children, an insider alleged in 2025 that Pitt was “desperate” to reconcile with them.

Brad Pitt himself hasn’t officially spoken out about where he stands with his kids, as the actor has historically kept much of his personal life private. Something that is known, however, is that he’s been dating Ines de Ramon since 2022. As far as Pitt’s relationship with his kids, it remains to be seen whether anything will change in that regard.

Erik Swann
Senior Content Producer

Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

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