Brad Pitt details suicidal thoughts after estrangement from Angelina Jolie and kids

| Live News reporter Published August 10, 2026 5:28pm Updated August 10, 2026 5:59pm Hollywood actor Brad Pitt shares six children with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie (Picture: AFP/Getty) Brad Pitt has revealed that he felt ‘suicidal’ a decade after his estrangement from Angelina Jolie and his children. The 62-year-old actor shares six children – Maddox, 25, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20, and 18-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox – with his former wife Angelina Jolie. Jolie, 51, filed for divorce from her Mr and Mrs. Smith co-star in 2016 and requested full custody of their six children following an alleged abusive incident between the actor and the kids. Speaking to Esquire, Pitt opened up about the darkest period of his life in a candid interview, saying that he ‘just didn’t see a way out’ from the pain he was experiencing. ‘I’ve never been suicidal except for one little period,’ the Fight Club star told the publication. ‘And in that one little period, I just thought — I just couldn’t — just didn’t see a way out.’ The pair settled their divorce in December 2024 (Picture: AFP/Getty) Jolie originally filed for divorce from Pitt in 2016 (Picture: AFP/Getty) The two-time Oscar winner continued: ‘The pain was so oppressive. I wasn’t going to act on this, but I could feel — I could feel the cold steel of the bullet in my head, and it felt like relief.’ He added: ‘And I thought, “Oh, okay, now I understand” — I understand suicide, in the sense that it’s just relief. It’s just looking for relief from the pain.’ Pitt said his ‘incredible survival instincts’ then kicked in, explaining: ‘This s*** ain’t easy. And you’re talking to a guy who won the lottery.’ When asked whether he had been dealing with problems involving his children, Pitt replied: ‘Family stuff.’ Without elaborating any further, he said: ‘Family stuff. We could leave it at that.’ The alleged abusive incident related to a claim made by Jolie that Pitt ‘choked one of the children and struck another in the face’ during a confrontation on a private jet. The FBI is said to have investigated the allegations ‘thoroughly’ but did not bring any charges against the actor. Jolie claimed that Pitt ‘choked one of the children and struck another in the face’ during a confrontation on a private jet (Picture: Broadimage/REX/Shutterstock) When asked whether he had been dealing with problems involving his children, Pitt replied: ‘Family stuff’ (Picture: AFP/Getty) The former couple was declared legally single in 2019 before finally settling their divorce in December 2024. Pitt has previously spoken about his battles with alcohol and his efforts to rebuild his life following the split. Over the past few years, his children, who all began with Pitt as their surname, began changing their names to Jolie instead. His youngest daughter Vivienne became the fourth sibling to formally distance herself from her father’s name. This came after Jolie said that she was ‘broken by life’ in a series of rare comments made about her split with Pitt earlier this year. Admitting that she had not dated anyone since their split, she revealed how she’s only now beginning to rediscover the woman she was before heartbreak and motherhood took over her life. ‘To be candid, I haven’t dated since I divorced a decade ago,’ she told Yahoo! Entertainment. ‘So I kind of get in my head that that aspect of me is not centered in my life if I’m focusing on my children, my family.’ Deals of the Day Parents can save up to 30% on Kickers school shoes ahead of the new term The back-to-school hack that's helping parents avoid queues and sold-out sizes Could your hair be wavy rather than straight? This brand thinks so Could your star sign improve your skincare routine? This new beauty launch thinks so Best skincare for menopausal skin? This dermatologist-created treatment is tailored to you Arrow MORE: Angelina Jolie and Robert De Niro among huge stars to ‘have private details leaked online’ Arrow MORE: Why are Brad Pitt’s children distancing themselves from him as another drops his name