Following his divorce from Angelina Jolie in 2016, the actor became sober, spending a year and a half in Alcoholics Anonymous, he told GQ for its August cover.
“I had a really cool men’s group here that was really private and selective,” Pitt, 58, explained.
“Because I’d seen other people, like Philip Seymour Hoffman, who had been recorded while spilling their guts, and that’s just atrocious to me.”
Pitt did not only eliminate alcohol from his life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pitt quit smoking after first trying to cut down on how many cigarettes he smoked each day.
“I don’t have the ability to do one or two a day,” he admitted to GQ. It’s not part of my makeup. I’m completely committed. I’m going to hit the ground. My privileges have been revoked. “
Pitt’s physical health appeared to be improving, but his mental health still required attention. The actor admitted to having “spent years with a low-grade depression.”
“I was always very alone in my life,” he said.
“Growing up alone, even here [in Los Angeles], it wasn’t until recently that I felt a greater embrace from my friends and family. What was that line? It was either Rilke or Einstein, believe it or not, but it was something about “walking with the paradox, about carrying real pain and real joy at the same time, about maturity and growth.”
Pitt’s newfound desire for a healthier lifestyle came after his marriage to Angelina Jolie appeared to be falling apart.
According to court documents obtained by E! News, when Maddox filed for divorce, she requested physical custody of their six children—Maddox, 20, Pax, 18, Zahara, 17, Shiloh, 16, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 13—and suggested that Pitt get visitation rights.
Pitt and his oldest son allegedly had a verbal altercation on a private plane, prompting an investigation by the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services. Pitt was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
In a 2020 interview with Vogue India, Jolie stated that she divorced him for the sake of her children. “It was the right decision,” they added, “for the well-being of their children.” “I’m still concentrating on their recovery.”
Pitt was granted joint custody of the children last year, but that decision was overturned when the judge presiding over the case was removed in July 2021. Jolie regained full custody of her children, while her ex-husband was granted visitation rights.
A source close to Pitt told E! News in October, “He believes in his children and what makes them happy.” They’re old enough now to make their own decisions, and he doesn’t get in their way. He’s told them they can be whoever they want to be. He wouldn’t ask for anything else. “
