Archive · 11 Aug 2026
Brad Pitt Recalls Feeling 'Suicidal' Amid 'Family Stuff'
Brad Pitt is a very famous movie actor.
He talked to a magazine called Esquire and shared a very personal story.
After he and his wife Angelina Jolie split up, there was a short time when he felt so much pain that he thought about suicide.
Suicide is when a person cannot see any way out and wants the pain to stop.
He said he never planned to actually hurt himself, and his survival instincts kicked in right away.
He also said that even someone who 'won the lottery' with fame and money can find life really hard.
He did not want to talk about the details, and only called it 'family stuff.'
Brad and Angelina have six children together, and Angelina asked for a divorce in 2016.
There were claims about something that happened on a plane, but police decided not to charge Brad.
Brad says the claims are not true, and in December 2024 the couple finally finished their divorce.
Brad Pitt, 62, told Esquire that 'family stuff' following his split from Angelina Jolie drove him to a brief period of suicidal thoughts, in an interview roughly a decade after the 2016 separation.
Pitt, who called himself a 'congenital optimist,' said he never intended to act on the thoughts, describing suicide as 'just looking for relief from the pain' and saying his survival instincts 'immediately kicked in.'
He declined to elaborate, telling the magazine, 'This s–t ain't easy. And you're talking to a guy who won the lottery' and 'We could leave it at that.'
Jolie, 51, filed for divorce in 2016 and sought full custody, with her lawyers alleging Pitt choked one child and struck another in the face during a September 2016 confrontation on a private jet.
Pitt has denied the abuse allegations; the FBI thoroughly investigated and brought no charges, and the couple was declared legally single in 2019 and finalized their divorce in December 2024 after a battle over Château Miraval.
- Who
- Brad Pitt, 62, the Oscar-winning actor, and his former wife Angelina Jolie, 51, who share six children.
- What
- Pitt revealed in an Esquire interview that 'family stuff' after his split from Jolie led to a brief period of suicidal thoughts, which he described as simply looking for relief from pain.
- When
- The interview comes roughly a decade after Jolie filed for divorce in 2016; the couple settled their divorce in December 2024.
- Where
- No specific location was given; the revelation was made in a candid interview with Esquire magazine.
- Why
- Pitt said the pain of family matters was so oppressive that he briefly could not see a way out, though he never intended to act on the thoughts.
Angelina Jolie's Account
Brad Pitt's Account
2016 private-jet incident
Angelina Jolie's Account
Jolie granted full custody and her lawyers alleged that Pitt 'choked one of the children and struck another in the face' during a confrontation on a private jet in September 2016.
Brad Pitt's Account
Pitt denied the allegations of abuse, and the FBI said it thoroughly investigated the matter and chose not to bring any charges.
- Actor
- Brad Pitt, 62
- Interview outlet
- Esquire magazine
- Former spouse
- Angelina Jolie, 51
- Children
- Maddox (25), Pax (22), Zahara (21), Shiloh (20), Vivienne and Knox (18)
- Divorce filed
- 2016 by Angelina Jolie
- FBI investigation
- Thoroughly investigated; no charges brought
- Divorce finalized
- December 2024
- Winery dispute
- Bitter battle over Château Miraval
