Brad Pitt's family troubles have taken their toll on him.
The Oscar-winning actor, who's been in a yearslong legal battle with ex-wife Angelina Jolie, opened up about his mental health journey amid the personal drama in an interview with Esquire published Monday, Aug. 10.
"I was never suicidal in any way. It just was not my makeup," Pitt, 62, told the magazine. "In fact, if I have any afflictions, it's probably being a congenital optimist. Which has helped many times, and it's also gotten me – I've walked foolishly head-on into a Mack truck because of my optimism."
Pitt and Jolie, who at the height of their Hollywood romance were known as "Brangelina," filed for divorce in September 2016 following two years of marriage, and the pair finalized their split
in December 2024 after being declared legally single in 2019.
In the decade since their divorce, the former couple have been embroiled in a series of legal battles that have pulled back the curtain on their allegedly tumultuous family life. A dispute over Château Miraval, the French vineyard the pair once jointly owned, revealed Jolie's allegations of physical abuse against Pitt.
The rift has also seemingly put a strain on Pitt's relationship with his children. The "F1" star shares six kids 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 "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" stars' children have either removed Pitt's last name or filed court requests to do so, including daughter Vivienne, who sought a name change in Los Angeles court on July 20.
While Pitt declined to go into details in his conversation with Esquire, the actor said "family stuff" played a role in his deteriorating mental health.
Pitt's ex-wife Jolie accused him in an October 2022 filing 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" actress contended Pitt's abuse of her started "long before" the alleged airplane incident, but this was the first time the children had been subjected to it.
Pitt denied the allegations, and after looking into the incident, the FBI declined to pursue an investigation or charges.
"I've never been suicidal except for one little period. And in that one little period, I just didn't see a way out," Pitt said. "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.
"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."
Brad Pitt shares sobriety update
Pitt has a different perspective on the sober life.
In his Esquire interview, the "Fight Club" star shared that he drinks in moderation, after previously getting sober following his split from Jolie.
"I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon," Pitt said with a laugh. "In a more restrained manner. I got overconfident a couple times, went, 'Yep, nope, not good for me.' Not in big quantities."
Pitt, who reportedly offered Esquire writer Ryan D'Agostino a glass of wine during their conversation, clarified that he "can have a few, but I can't have a lot. I have to be professional about it."
In 2019, the actor told The New York Times that he enrolled in Alcoholics Anonymous for a year and a half in the wake of his separation from Jolie. The following year, Pitt credited friend and fellow actor Bradley Cooper for helping with his sobriety during a speech at the National Board of Review Awards.
Sobriety proved to be a pivotal turning point for Pitt, who got candid on the impact of his AA meetings in a June 2025 interview on the "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard" podcast.
"I was pretty much on my knees, and I was really open," Pitt said. "I was trying anything and everyone: anything anyone threw at me. It was a particularly difficult time. I needed rebooting."
If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting "988."
If you or someone you know needs help battling a substance abuse addiction, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brad Pitt no longer sober, talks feeling 'suicidal' amid family drama
