Brad Pitt was ‘on his knees’ post Angelina Jolie divirce, forced to face his ‘ugly sides’

After going through a difficult time in his personal life, Brad Pitt began a process of self-reflection and healing, giving much of the credit to his time attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. The famous actor spoke openly about this life-changing experience, explaining how it helped him completely “restart” himself following his divorce from Angelina Jolie.

As found by Page Six, Pitt admitted on Monday’s episode of the Armchair Expert podcast that he reached a point of deep humility, realizing he needed to take a hard look at himself and make major changes. He described feeling completely drained and knowing he had to confront parts of his life that needed fixing. During this tough period, he was willing to try anything that might help, listening to every piece of advice offered. He knew he needed a total reset, a complete change from his old habits.

While he didn’t share exactly when he first went to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, he did attend for about a year and a half, starting after his split from Jolie in 2016. At first, he felt nervous about joining the group sessions, admitting he was “on his knees” post their separation. Pitt admitted he was anxious when it was almost his turn to speak, feeling the pressure as the conversation moved toward him. But that fear turned into motivation as he listened to others sharing their stories without holding back.

Brad Pitt thanked AA for giving him a real reason to change

Seeing how open everyone was in the group gave him courage. It made him feel like it was okay to step outside his comfort zone, face his “ugly sides,” to talk about things he might have hidden before, and to see what happened when he did. This new sense of freedom to be real with others made him grow to truly value the meetings, eventually becoming something he looked forward to.

Pitt also mentioned how much he appreciated host Dax Shepard’s role in these meetings. He said Shepard’s constant honesty was especially meaningful and helped him feel safe opening up. He saw Shepard as a kind of wise leader in the group, someone whose advice often came with humor. This mix of experience and lightheartedness made it easier to talk about hard truths.

Pitt compared this supportive setting to his upbringing in the Ozarks, where men were expected to act tough and pretend “everything’s fine” even when struggling inside. He found it incredibly powerful to be in a space where people shared their mistakes, regrets, fears, and pains, along with a lot of laughter.

This period of deep self-examination led him to change his relationship with alcohol entirely. Pitt said he had taken his old habits as far as they could go, reaching a point where he couldn’t keep going that way. This realization made him quit drinking completely, a decision he described as revoking his own “drinking privileges.” This big step was closely tied to the end of his marriage to Angelina Jolie.

His issues with alcohol were believed to have played a major role in their breakup, especially after a reported incident on a plane in 2016 that became a major turning point in their relationship. Court documents later included claims that Pitt had physically harmed Jolie and one of their six children during that event.