Brad Pitt’s attempt to draw sympathy from fans has fallen flat after he seemingly snubbed his 19-year-old daughter Zahara, who he shares with ex Angelina Jolie.

It all started when Jolie and Pitt’s daughter Shiloh legally dropped “Pitt” from her last name on her 18^th birthday on May 27. Sources told Entertainment Tonight that Shiloh “hired her own lawyer and paid for it herself.” Apparently, the Outer Range executive producer was not happy about this bold move, and sources close to the star shared his reaction to the news.

MUMBAI, INDIA: US actors Angelina Jolie (L), daughter Zahara (2L), husband Brad Pitt (R), and son Maddox take a stroll on the seafront promenade in Mumbai, 12 November 2006. Jolie and Pitt are in Mumbai, India’s financial hub, to shoot for her film “A Mighty Heart”, based on the life of the slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in which Jolie portrays Marianne, the wife of Daniel Pearl. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP via Getty Images)
“He’s aware and upset that Shiloh dropped his last name. He’s never felt more joy than when she was born. He always wanted a daughter,” a source close to Pitt told PEOPLE yesterday. The insider added, “The reminders that he’s lost his children, is of course not easy for Brad. He loves his children and misses them. It’s very sad.”

People were quick to slam the actor for this statement, which they are assuming came directly from him (or his PR team), because of the way he completely overlooked Zahara, who he adopted before Shiloh was born. One viral tweet said: “’He always wanted a daughter,’ say ‘sources’ close to Brad Pitt about Shiloh. A reminder that he and Angelina adopted Zahara before Shiloh was born.”

“Because completing bypassing her big sister zahara (who also publicly dropped his name at her alpha kappa alpha initiation ceremony) is definitely gonna win shiloh back 😵‍💫,” another person wrote. “They adopted Zahara the year before. IF BRAD PITT HAS NO HATERS I’M DEAD,” someone else said.

However, in August 2022, Pitt gushed about Zahara at the premiere of his film Bullet Train. “I’m so proud of her,” he told Vanity Fair. “She’s so smart. She’s going to flourish even more at college. It’s an exciting and beautiful time to find her own way and pursue her interests. I’m so proud.”

Pitt and the Maleficent star share kids Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, and 15-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne, along with Shiloh and Zahara. Things have been contentious between the Fight Club star and his kids ever since he allegedly abused them on an airplane in 2016, prompting Jolie to file for divorce.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 18: (L-R) Maddox Jolie-Pitt, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt and Knox Jolie-Pitt attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Marvel Studios’ “Eternals” on October 18, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
In January 2024, a source revealed that Maddox, Pax, and Zahara no longer speak to their dad. The insider told OK! Magazine, “They don’t speak to him anymore. It’s pretty awkward because their siblings have cut them out of their lives. But he’s holding out hope that they’ll eventually come around.”

Another source told PEOPLE Monday, “[Brad] still loves all of his kids tremendously. This whole process has been very hard for the whole family.”

There’s no doubt it’s been hard for everyone — but seemingly forgetting about your adopted daughter and praising the biological daughter you “always wanted” is definitely not going to heal tensions.