Brad Pitt has recently opened up about how he managed his challenging and extended divorce from Angelina Jolie.
Pitt’s public split from fellow actress Angelina Jolie has been ongoing for nearly a decade, with their divorce being finalized at the end of 2024.
Throughout the process, Pitt has largely remained private about the aftermath of their relationship. Meanwhile, Jolie has been more vocal, previously accusing Pitt of abuse towards her and their six children.
Court documents referred to an alleged incident on a flight to France in 2016, the same year the couple announced their divorce.
These documents alleged that Jolie was attacked by Pitt during the flight, with one of their children also reportedly being harmed, accusations that Pitt has denied.
The FBI looked into the claims, and Pitt was not charged.
Recently, on the Armchair Expert podcast with Dax Shepard, Pitt discussed how achieving sobriety was crucial during the difficult period following his separation.
Pitt expressed: “You know, 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 difficult time. I needed rebooting. I needed to wake the f*** up in some areas. And it just meant a lot to me,” he continued.
Pitt also highlighted the importance of his Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in helping him regain his footing.
He noted: “It gives you permission in a way to go, okay, I’m going to step out on this edge and see what happens.”
“And then I really grew to love it.”
Pitt mentioned that his previous openness about AA led to some reprimand due to the program’s confidential nature.
Recalling a 2019 interview, he explained: “I went on some New York Times interview and what an amazing thing this experience was for me.”
“It was a men’s group, it was AA, it was when I first was getting sober. I just thought it was just incredible, men sharing their experiences, their foibles, their missteps, their wants, their aches, and a lot of humor with it.”
“I thought it was really special experience coming from the Ozarks where we’re like, everything’s great.”
“And so I do this interview and I say this and I got admonished by someone of the higher up saying, it’s anonymous.”
Despite the critique, Pitt emphasized his gratitude for the experience.