Brad Pitt recently gave a raw and honest interview where he talked about some of the darkest moments of his life. The 62-year-old actor spoke with Esquire magazine about struggling with his mental health during a difficult time he calls “family stuff.” He also shared that he has started drinking again after staying sober for seven years.
The Oscar-winning actor, known for movies like Fight Club and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, usually keeps his personal life private. But this time, he decided to open up about the pain he went through following his split from Angelina Jolie and the ongoing challenges with his family.
Brad Pitt Says He Felt Suicidal for the First Time
Pitt explained that he has always seen himself as an optimistic person. He told Esquire that he was never someone who dealt with suicidal thoughts regularly.
“I was never suicidal in any way. It just was not my makeup,” Pitt said.
But there was one period in his life where everything changed. He described feeling trapped and overwhelmed by pain.
“I’ve never been suicidal except for one little period. And in that one little period, I just didn’t see a way out,” he shared.
The actor went on to describe how intense the pain became. He said it felt so heavy that he finally understood why someone might see suicide as an escape.
“The pain was so oppressive that – I wasn’t going to act on this – but I could feel the cold steel of the bullet in my head, and it felt like relief,” Pitt recalled.
He added that he understood suicide as a search for relief from pain. But he also said that his survival instinct kicked in right away.
“But I also think we have incredible survival instincts. And for me, that immediately kicked in,” he said.
When the interviewer asked if the troubles were about his children, Pitt simply replied, “Family stuff. We could leave it at that.”
The Pain Behind the “Family Stuff”
Pitt and Angelina Jolie were one of Hollywood’s biggest couples. They met on the set of Mr & Mrs Smith in 2004 and married in August 2014. They share six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne, and Knox.
The couple separated in 2016, and their divorce was finally finalized in December 2024. The legal battles between them have been long and messy. They fought over property, including the French vineyard Château Miraval.
The stress of the divorce and the distance from his children seems to have taken a serious toll on Pitt.
Several of his children have also taken steps to remove “Pitt” from their last names. Shiloh was the first to file for a name change after turning 18 in May 2024. Maddox followed in May 2026. Zahara has also started the legal process to become Zahara Marley Jolie.
During this tough time, Angelina Jolie also spoke about her own struggles. She recently told Yahoo Entertainment that she hasn’t dated since the divorce and said, “I’m thinking I have to live again. Be free again.”
Brad Pitt Returns to Drinking After Seven Years of Sobriety
In the same interview, Pitt made another surprising confession. He said he is no longer sober.
“I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon,” Pitt admitted.
Pitt first got sober back in 2016 around the time of his split from Jolie. He had been open about his struggles with alcohol in the past. In a 2017 interview with GQ, he admitted he had been “boozing too much”.
He also thanked his friend Bradley Cooper for helping him get sober. At a 2020 awards ceremony, Pitt said, “I got sober because of this guy”.
But now, after seven years without alcohol, he has started drinking again. However, he says he is approaching it differently this time.
“In a more restrained manner. I got overconfident a couple times, went, Yep, nope, not good for me. Not in big quantities,” he explained.
Pitt said he can now have “a few” glasses of wine, but he knows his limits.
“I can have a few. But I can’t have a lot. I have to be professional about it,” he told Esquire.
This confession has started a lot of conversations. Experts and fans are debating whether someone with a history of alcohol problems can ever safely drink again.
Related:
What This Means for Brad Pitt’s Recovery Journey
Pitt’s decision to drink again after seven years of sobriety is a big deal. He had been very open about his recovery in the past. He attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and even met actor Dax Shepard there.
He once called the experience “incredible” and said he valued sharing experiences with other men.
But his recent interview shows that recovery is not always a straight line. Pitt is now trying a different approach. He is drinking, but he is being careful about it. He admitted that he got overconfident a few times and realized that drinking in large amounts is still bad for him.
The actor is currently promoting two new films and is reportedly dating model Ines de Ramon. Despite the personal struggles, he is still working and moving forward with his life.
Pitt’s honest words about his mental health and his sobriety journey have touched many people. He showed that even someone who seems to have everything can go through deep pain. His willingness to talk about suicidal thoughts and his return to drinking gives a real look at the challenges he faces.
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