Brad Pitt Discusses Joining Alcoholics Anonymous Following Angelina Jolie Divorce

Brad Pitt has opened up about attending his first Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) in the aftermath of his messy split from Angelina Jolie.

On Monday’s episode of Armchair Expert, the F1 star, 61, admitted that he ‘needed rebooting’ following the disastrous end of his second marriage.

‘I was really open to trying anything and everything anyone suggested,’ he recounted to host, Dax Shepard, after realizing he needed to ‘wake the f**k up in some areas,’ being ‘pretty much on [his] knees.’

He continued: ‘It was a difficult time. I needed rebooting.’ 

This remark might be perceived as a subtle allusion to his ex Jennifer Aniston, who once famously compared Pitt’s demeanor to a computer chip.

Aniston, who was married to Pitt from 2000 to 2005, once commented that he had a ‘sensitivity chip missing’ when explaining his handling of their breakup.

Brad Pitt has opened up about attending Alcoholic Anonymous in the aftermath of his messy split from Angelina Jolie while appearing on Monday’s episode of Armchair Expert

While attending AA, Pitt said he felt nervous about speaking and was inspired by ‘everyone [being] so open’ about their experiences. 

‘It gives you permission to go, “OK, I’m gonna step out on this edge and see what happens,”‘ he explained. ‘And then I really grew to love it.’ 

Pitt went on to praise Shepard, who was sober for 16 years before relapsing in 2020, for always being ‘so f**king honest.’

The father-of-six, noted that it ‘meant a lot’ to him to hear Shepard share his journey publicly. 

‘Dax was usually near the end because he’s been there awhile,’ Pitt said, before playfully comparing Shepard, 50, to ‘an elder statesman’ that fuses ‘humor’ into his wisdom. 

‘I just thought it was incredible, men sharing their experiences with their foibles, their missteps, their wants, their aches and a lot of humor with it,’ Pitt said. 

As someone born in Oklahoma and raised in Missouri, the actor explained he was raised around men that always insisted ‘everything is great’ and didn’t complain.

Previously Pitt revealed that his decision to join AA came after taking ‘things as far as’ before revoking his ‘drinking privileges.’

On Monday’s episode of Armchair Expert , the F1 star, 61, admitted that he ‘needed rebooting’ following the disastrous end of his second marriage; seen in 2011 with ex Angelina Jolie

The actor admitted that he ‘needed rebooting’ (a comment that could be viewed as a cryptic nod to his ex Jennifer Aniston, who once said he was missing a ‘sensitivity chip missing’); seen in 2004

During an interview with the New York Times in 2019, he said he found ‘great value’ in Alcoholics Anonymous. 

‘It was this safe space where there was little judgment, and therefore little judgment of yourself,’ he said, at the time. ‘It was actually really freeing just to expose the ugly sides of yourself.’

The Hollywood hunk also admitted that alcohol was not the only vice with which he’d struggled in the past. 

Pitt also revealed he’d turned to marijuana in the wake of his meteoric Hollywood success, conceding that ‘in the ’90s, all that attention really threw me.’

While attending AA, Pitt said he felt nervous about speaking and was inspired by ‘everyone [being] so open’ about their experiences

‘It gives you permission to go, “OK, I’m gonna step out on this edge and see what happens,”‘ he explained. ‘And then I really grew to love it.’

‘I really became a bit of a hermit and just bonged myself into oblivion.’

In 2020, Pitt also credited Bradley Cooper with helping him to overcome his battles with addiction.

While accepting Best Supporting Actor from his pal at the National Board Of Review gala, the performer revealed Cooper helped him ‘get sober’ and ‘every day has been happier ever since.’

Pitt decided to pursue sobriety after his split from Jolie. 

He is currently dating jewelry executive Ines de Ramon, who resides with him in Los Angeles (pictured on June 16, 2025)

Brad and Angelina’s ugly divorce battle finally ended in December 2024 after she filed in 2016.

The dispute has seen the exes attack each other in legal filings ever since Brad sued Angelina in 2022 for selling her stake in their Chateau Miraval estate, which produces an award-winning sparkling rosé.

The exes, who share six children — Maddox, 23, Pax, 21, Zahara, 20, Shiloh, 19, Knox, 16, and Vivienne, also 16 , married in 2014 after meeting on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005).

He is currently dating jewelry executive Ines de Ramon, who resides with him in Los Angeles.