Brad Pitt reveals he felt ‘suicidal’ amid family turmoil after Angelina Jolie split

Brad Pitt opened up about a difficult period after his split, saying family strain left him feeling very lost

Brad Pitt has revealed that he experienced suicidal thoughts during a particularly painful period following his 2016 split from Angelina Jolie, describing the emotional distress he was facing as overwhelming.

The actor, 62, discussed the experience during a candid interview with Esquire. Pitt said he had never previously experienced suicidal feelings apart from one period, when he struggled to see a way forward.

“I’ve never been suicidal except for one little period. And in that one little period, I just thought I just couldn’t, just didn’t see a way out,” Pitt said.

He went on to describe the intensity of the pain, explaining that although he had no intention of acting on the thoughts, he could understand why someone experiencing severe emotional suffering might associate death with relief.

“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,” he said.

Pitt said his understanding of those thoughts was connected to a desire to escape emotional pain rather than an intention to harm himself. He also reflected on what he described as his survival instincts, saying they ultimately took over.

“And I thought, ‘Oh, okay, now I understand’ I understand suicide, in the sense that it’s just relief. It’s just looking for relief from the pain,” Pitt said.

When the conversation turned towards the circumstances behind that difficult period, the interviewer asked whether the actor was dealing with issues involving his children. Pitt gave a brief answer, saying it was “Family stuff”.

He then made clear that he did not want to go further into the subject, adding, “Family stuff. We could leave it at that.”

Pitt and Jolie, who met while working on Mr. & Mrs. Smith, share six children. Their relationship ended in 2016 when Jolie filed for divorce and requested full custody of their children. The former couple were declared legally single in 2019 before reaching a divorce settlement in December 2024.

Their family situation has remained complicated in the years since their separation. Several of their children have taken steps to remove Pitt from their surnames, while reports have described the actor as estranged from most of his children.

The family history also includes allegations surrounding an incident aboard a private jet in 2016. Jolie's lawyers alleged that Pitt had physically harmed her and one of their children during the confrontation. The FBI investigated the incident and ultimately decided not to bring charges against Pitt.

Pitt's comments about his mental state come alongside renewed discussion of his personal struggles and recovery. In the same interview, he also revealed that he had ended a seven year period of sobriety, explaining that he had resumed drinking in a restrained manner before deciding that consuming larger amounts was not good for him.

His decision to discuss such painful experiences publicly gives further context to the personal difficulties he has faced since the collapse of his marriage. Pitt has previously spoken about seeking help through Alcoholics Anonymous and participating in a 12 step programme.

In a 2019 interview with The New York Times, he discussed becoming sober and said he had reached a point where he needed to stop drinking. In 2025, he also recalled attending his first AA meeting and described that period as a time when he needed to make significant changes in his life.

Pitt's latest comments remain deliberately limited when it comes to the details of his family circumstances. Rather than identifying individual family members or explaining the specific events that contributed to his emotional crisis, he repeatedly referred to the situation simply as “Family stuff”.