Brad Pitt on suicidal thoughts amid 'family stuff'; reveals he is no longer sober

Actor Brad Pitt has said he is no longer sober and has opened up about experiencing a brief period of suicidal thoughts amid what he described as "family stuff". The actor spoke about his mental health, drinking and personal struggles while reflecting on the years-long fallout from his split with Angelina Jolie.In an interview with Esquire, the Oscar-winning actor mentioned that his family troubles had taken a toll on him. He also said he now drinks in moderation after previously getting sober following his separation from Jolie.Pitt said, "I was never suicidal in any way. It was just not my makeup." He added, "In fact, if I have any afflictions, it's probably being a congenital optimist. Which has helped many times, and it's also got me – I've walked foolishly head-on into a Mack truck because of my optimism."While declining to go into detail, Pitt said "family stuff" played a role in his deteriorating mental health. He said, "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 added, "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 went on to say, "And I thought, 'Oh, OK, now I understand.' I understand suicide, in the sense that it's just relief. It's just looking for relief from the pain. But I also think we have incredible survival instincts. And for me, that immediately kicked in."The Fight Club actor also said he now drinks in moderation. "I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon. In a more restrained manner. I got overconfident a couple of times, went, 'Yep, nope, not good for me.' Not in big quantities," Pitt said. In 2019, Pitt told The New York Times that he enrolled in Alcoholics Anonymous for a year and a half after his separation from Jolie. The following year, he credited friend and fellow actor Bradley Cooper for helping with his sobriety during a speech at the National Board of Review Awards.Sobriety later became a major turning point for Pitt, who spoke about the effect of his AA meetings during a June 2025 interview on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast. "I was pretty much on my knees, and I was really open, I was trying anything and everyone: anything anyone threw at me. It was a particularly difficult time. I needed rebooting," he said.Pitt and Jolie, once dubbed "Brangelina" at the height of their Hollywood relationship, filed for divorce in September 2016 after two years of marriage. They were declared legally single in 2019, and finalised their divorce in December 2024.In the years since, the former couple have remained locked in a series of legal battles that have shed light on their family life. A dispute over Chteau Miraval, the French vineyard they once jointly owned, brought out Jolie's allegations of physical abuse against Pitt.The split has also appeared to strain Pitt's relationship with his children. The "F1" star shares six children with Jolie: Maddox, 25; Pax, 22; Zahara, 21; Shiloh, 20; and 18-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox. In the last two years, several of the children of the Mr & Mrs Smith stars have either dropped Pitt's surname or filed court requests to do so, including Vivienne, who sought a name change in Los Angeles court on July 20.In an October 2022 filing, Jolie accused Pitt of assaulting her and two of their children on a private flight from France to Los Angeles in 2016. In later court filings, the Maleficent actor said Pitt's abuse of her began "long before" the alleged plane incident, but claimed that was the first time the children had been subjected to it. Pitt's latest remarks connect his mental health struggles, his drinking and the long-running family dispute that followed the end of their marriage.Meanwhile, Pitt will next be seen in the survival thriller, Heart of the Beast (2026). The film is directed by David Ayer and written by Cameron Alexander and is set for a theatrical release on September 25, 2026.The actor's last theatrical release was F1 (2025). The Joseph Kosinski directorial also featured Javier Bardem in a crucial role.- EndsPublished By: Anurag BohraPublished On: Aug 11, 2026 05:52 IST