Brad Pitt reveals seven year sobriety ended as he admits he is 'back off the wagon'

Brad Pitt has revealed that his seven year period of sobriety has ended, telling Esquire that he has returned to drinking but now tries to keep his alcohol consumption under control.

The 62 year old actor made the disclosure during a wide ranging interview. Pitt explained that he had remained sober for seven years before deciding to drink again, although he stressed that his current approach is considerably more restrained than his previous relationship with alcohol.

"I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon," Pitt said, according to the interview.

He explained that he had become overconfident on a couple of occasions before recognising that drinking heavily was not good for him. Pitt said he can have a few glasses of wine but cannot have a lot, adding that he has to be "professional" about it.

The admission marks a significant change from the sobriety journey Pitt had previously discussed publicly. He began attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings after giving up alcohol in 2016, during an exceptionally difficult period in his personal life.

Pitt first spoke extensively about his sobriety in a 2019 New York Times interview, when he said he had removed his "drinking privilege" after recognising that he had taken his alcohol consumption as far as he could. He later described his first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting as an important part of his recovery during an appearance on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast.

In his new Esquire interview, Pitt also discussed an extremely difficult period connected to what he described as "family stuff". He said the emotional pain became so overwhelming that he experienced suicidal thoughts, while making clear that he did not intend to act on them.

Pitt's comments come years after his highly publicised split from Angelina Jolie. The pair began their relationship in the mid 2000s, married in 2014 and separated in 2016. They were declared legally single in 2019, while their divorce was finalised in 2025 after a prolonged legal dispute.

The breakdown of their marriage has included competing allegations and legal claims. Jolie alleged in court filings that Pitt physically harmed her and one of their children during a 2016 private plane incident. Pitt has denied the allegations. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the incident, and no criminal charges were filed against him.

Pitt has six children with Jolie, although his relationship with some of his children has become increasingly distant in the years since the separation.

His latest remarks also provide further context for how he views the period when he first sought sobriety. Pitt has previously said that Alcoholics Anonymous gave him a place where people could speak openly about their struggles without judgement. He recalled feeling inspired by the honesty of people in the meetings and eventually becoming comfortable sharing his own experiences.

The actor's decision to drink again does not mean he has abandoned the lessons he associated with recovery. His comments suggest he is attempting to maintain strict limits after recognising that alcohol had previously become problematic for him.

Pitt's disclosure comes as he continues to work at the centre of Hollywood's film industry. Following his Oscar winning performance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, he returned to the big screen in F1, in which he played veteran racing driver Sonny Hayes.