Brad Pitt has spent decades as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, but behind the scenes, the actor has faced a difficult period in his personal life that included a bitter divorce, strained family relationships and major changes in the way he lives.

The 62-year-old Oscar winner, known for movies including “Fight Club,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “Ocean’s Eleven” and “F1,” opened up about some of those struggles in a new interview with Esquire.

Much of Pitt’s personal turmoil dates back to the end of his marriage to Angelina Jolie.

Pitt and Jolie, who met while filming “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” were together for more than a decade before Jolie filed for divorce in 2016. The former couple share six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh and twins Knox and Vivienne.

Their breakup quickly became one of Hollywood’s most closely watched divorces.

The split followed an alleged confrontation aboard a private plane in September 2016. Jolie later alleged in court documents that Pitt became physically aggressive toward her and at least one of their children during the flight. Pitt denied allegations that he abused his children, and authorities did not charge him following investigations into the incident.

Pitt and Jolie were declared legally single in 2019, but disputes between them continued for years. They eventually reached a divorce settlement in late 2024.

Pitt’s relationships with some of his children have also reportedly become strained in the years since the breakup.

Pitt describes a dark period

In his new Esquire interview, Pitt revealed just how difficult one period involving his family became.

The actor said there was a time when the emotional pain became so overwhelming that he experienced suicidal thoughts. Pitt stressed that he did not intend to act on those thoughts, but described reaching an extremely low point while dealing with what he called “family stuff.”

The difficult period also forced Pitt to examine his lifestyle.

Following his separation from Jolie, Pitt stopped drinking and later spoke openly about attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

In a 2019 interview with The New York Times, Pitt said he had pushed his drinking as far as he could and decided he needed to give it up.

For years, he was widely understood to have remained sober.

But that has now changed.

Pitt reveals he is drinking again

During his interview with Esquire, Pitt revealed that after seven years of sobriety, he has started drinking alcohol again.

“I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon,” Pitt said with a laugh.

However, the actor explained that he now tries to place strict limits on how much he drinks.

Pitt said he learned after a few attempts that drinking too much still does not work for him. He said he can now have a few glasses of wine but knows he cannot have a lot.

“I have to be professional about it,” he explained.

The subject came up naturally during the interview after Pitt offered the reporter wine while the two were talking at his Los Angeles home.

Pitt made clear that his return to alcohol does not mean he believes he can drink without limits. Instead, he described learning where his boundaries are and trying not to cross them.

Pitt previously opened up about AA

The revelation comes about a year after Pitt discussed how important Alcoholics Anonymous had been to him following his divorce.

During an appearance on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, Pitt described his first AA meeting as an important moment in his life.

He said he arrived at the program during an extremely difficult time and realized there were parts of his life that needed to change.

Pitt initially found the experience intimidating. Sitting in a circle and knowing that he would eventually have to speak openly about his own problems made him nervous.

But that feeling began to disappear as he listened to other people share their experiences.

Pitt said seeing others speak so openly gave him permission to become vulnerable himself. Over time, he came to appreciate the meetings and what he learned from them.

“I was trying anything and everything, anything anyone threw at me,” Pitt recalled of that period. “It was a difficult time. I needed rebooting.”

Despite the challenges in his personal life, Pitt has remained one of Hollywood’s most recognizable actors.

His career has continued with major projects, including the racing blockbuster “F1,” while his private life has gradually moved in a new direction.

Now, nearly a decade after the collapse of his marriage and after seven years without alcohol, Pitt is acknowledging another major change: He is no longer completely sober, although he says he is approaching drinking much differently than he did in the past.