The Moment Everything Changed
Brad Pitt is pulling back the curtain on one of the most vulnerable chapters of his life—and he’s doing it with striking honesty. In the June 23 episode of Armchair Expert, hosted by fellow actor Dax Shepard, Pitt opened up about the life-changing impact Alcoholics Anonymous had on him following his highly publicized split from Angelina Jolie. For the Oscar winner, that turning point wasn’t just about quitting drinking—it was about waking up.
“It was a difficult time,” Pitt admitted, referring to the days following his 2016 separation. “I was pretty much on my knees.” Speaking candidly, he said that when he entered AA, he didn’t hesitate to share because of how desperate he felt. “I was trying anything and everyone,” he continued. “I needed rebooting. I needed to wake the f— up in some areas.” His voice, though steady, carried the weight of someone who’d faced himself head-on.
Pitt described his AA experience as “an amazing thing,” recalling the group’s mix of brutal honesty, emotional depth, and unexpected humor. “Just incredible men sharing their experiences, their foibles, their wants, their aches,” he said. “It was a really special experience.” It’s rare to hear someone of Pitt’s status speak this openly about hitting bottom, but in this conversation, the Hollywood polish gave way to raw, resonant truth.
From Shame to Self-Awareness
Despite his initial shyness, Pitt said he quickly found comfort among the men in the AA meetings—one of whom turned out to be Shepard himself. While Shepard jokingly asked if Pitt had been “nervous” about meeting again on the record, Pitt responded with calm assurance: “Quite at ease.” That comfort, it seems, was built on the kind of mutual understanding only people who’ve been through the fire can share.
“I’m a stubborn f—,” Pitt admitted, not shying away from the traits that once held him back. But he also spoke about personal growth with a sense of ownership and humility. “When I’ve stepped in s—, I’m pretty good at taking responsibility for it and owning up,” he said. “And now it’s a quest to…how can I right this? And make sure it doesn’t happen again.” The words didn’t sound rehearsed—they rang with the clarity of someone who’s done the work.
Over time, what started as a lifeline became something he genuinely looked forward to. “AA meetings became something I’d look forward to,” Pitt shared, reinforcing that healing doesn’t happen overnight—it’s a process. Shepard, who has been equally open about his own journey, noted, “Yeah. You don’t come into AA because everything’s working out fantastic,” to which Pitt quipped, “No. That’s usually not the entry point.” The laughter that followed wasn’t lighthearted—it was layered with pain, release, and recognition.
A Long Road from Divorce to Discovery
Pitt first revealed his involvement in AA back in 2019, in a New York Times profile where he acknowledged he joined the group shortly after Jolie filed for divorce. It was a moment that, for many, defined his public image—but behind the scenes, he was engaged in an entirely different battle. In his own words, it was about exposing the parts of himself he’d hidden for too long. “It was actually really freeing to just expose the ugly sides of yourself,” he told the Times. “There’s a great value in that.”
Therapy also became part of his recovery journey. With the same openness he brought to AA, Pitt told Shepard he approached therapy with complete transparency: “And I did this, and I did that, and da da da da.” He described that approach as “desperate,” but necessary. In that desperation, he found something resembling peace—or at the very least, forward movement.
For fans used to seeing Pitt on red carpets or movie posters, these confessions reveal a man in full reckoning with himself. It’s not just a celebrity redemption arc—it’s the story of someone who hit the floor and decided to crawl, not crumble. “It’s not the winner’s club,” Shepard joked. “Your hair has gotta be on fire before you go like, ‘Yeah, I’ll go hang with a bunch of dudes and talk about emotions.’” But for Pitt, that fire was the start of something new. And now, with brutal honesty and a bit of hard-won grace, he’s telling the world how he put himself back together.