Brad Pitt opens up about the moment that forced him to go sober and join Alcoholics Anonymous
Warning: This article contains discussion of alcoholism which some readers may find distressing.
Brad Pitt has revealed that he needed 'rebooting' when he joined Alcoholics Anonymous back in 2016, amid his high-profile divorce from Angelina Jolie.
The 61-year-old actor separated from Jolie back in 2016, following two years of marriage and 11 years after they had originally begun dating.
Pitt and Jolie's high-profile split was an acrimonious one, with the 50-year-old actor accusing her ex-husband of assault during a flight from France to California in 2016.
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According to court documents filed by Jolie, Pitt had allegedly been verbally and physically abusive towards her and two of their children while onboard the private jet. Pitt has denied all allegations against him.
The former couple's divorce was finally settled in December 2024.
While Pitt has rarely spoken about his separation from Jolie over the past couple of years, the actor did open on his mental state at the time during a recent interview with Dax Shepard on his Armchair Expert podcast, revealing that attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings had helped him.
Referring to his stint in AA meetings as an 'amazing thing', Pitt said: "I just thought it was just incredible.
"Men sharing their experiences, their foibles, their missteps, their wants, their aches, and a lot of humour with it. I thought it was a really special experience."
Pitt had previously revealed in an interview with The New York Times that he'd spent a year and a half attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings after his 2016 separation from Jolie.
The actor - who is currently starring in F1:The Movie alongside Javier Bardem and Damson Idris - went on to explain that he was motivated to attend the sessions after realising he needed to 'wake the f--k up.'
"I was pretty much on my knees, and I was really open," he said.
"I was trying anything and everyone. Anything anyone threw at me. It was a difficult time. I needed rebooting," he continued.
"I needed to wake the f--k up in some areas. And it just meant a lot to me.
"Everyone was so open. It gives you permission in a way to go, ‘Okay, I’m gonna step out on this edge and see what happens.’ And then I really grew to love it."
The comments come just weeks after Pitt made a rare comment about his separation from Jolie.
During a recent interview with GQ, the actor - who is currently dating Ines De Ramon - was asked if anything felt different in his life now the divorce was finalised, to which he responded: "No, I don’t think it was that major of a thing.
"Just something coming to fruition. Legally."
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.
Topics: Alcohol, Brad Pitt, Celebrity News, Mental Health, Celebrity, TV and Film
Brenna Cooper