Zahara Jolie-Pitt was born in Ethiopia in 2005 and adopted by Angelina Jolie while she was still an infant. While she has grown up lovingly with her two parents, Zahara’s adoption story is more complicated than fans may realize. At the time, Jolie had already welcomed her first child, Maddox, into the family through adoption from Cambodia three years earlier. Following Zahara’s adoption, Brad Pitt chose to undertake the legal process to adopt both Zahara and Maddox, according to Today.
Throughout her life, Pitt and his first daughter appeared very close. Contrary to the expectations surrounding a Hollywood playboy, the “Troy” actor embraced fatherhood wholeheartedly. In a 2007 interview with V Magazine, he opened up about his newfound experience as an adoptive father. “[Fatherhood] is the funniest, most lovely thing I’ve ever taken on,” Pitt admitted. “And the biggest pain in the ass as well. And I couldn’t go back. I couldn’t imagine it any other way,” he shared.
Pitt even faced a parenting episode that led him to take a step back and reconsider his drinking habits. After a young Zahara choked on a piece of ice that fell out of his beer, Pitt knew that he needed to cut down on alcohol for the sake of being a more attentive parent. “It’s not easy to be a good father when you’ve had a few drinks,” the actor admitted to Total Film Magazine. “You have to be absolutely on top of every situation.”
