I Needed To Wake The F**k Up, Recalls Brad Pitt While Struggling With Alcohol Post Divorce With Angelina Jolie

Hollywood icon Brad Pitt is opening up about his emotional and transformative experience with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). On the June 23 episode of the Armchair Expert podcast hosted by Dax Shepard, Pitt shared rare and heartfelt insights into his path to sobriety and the support he found in AA.

‘An Amazing Thing’: Pitt Praises the Power of AA Meetings

Calling AA an “amazing thing,” the 61-year-old Oscar winner said he found the experience profoundly moving. “I just thought it was incredible—men sharing their experiences, their foibles, their missteps, their wants, their aches, and a lot of humor with it,” Pitt shared. “It was a really special experience.”

Pitt also revealed that his friendship with Shepard began during their time in AA. Shepard, 50, known for his own openness about substance abuse and sobriety, asked if Pitt was ever nervous about discussing such a private experience publicly. Pitt assured him he felt “quite at ease,” despite the vulnerability that comes with those meetings.

Hitting Rock Bottom: Brad Pitt on His Breaking Point

Opening up about what led him to AA, Pitt recalled a low point in his life. “I was pretty much on my knees,” he admitted. “I was really open. I was trying anything and everyone—anything anyone threw at me.” He described the period as a “difficult time” that forced him to reboot his life and confront uncomfortable truths.

Describing himself as a “stubborn f—,” Pitt acknowledged his ability to take accountability for his actions. “When I’ve stepped in s—, I’m pretty good at taking responsibility for it and owning up to it,” he said.

“Now it’s a quest to ask, ‘How can I right this? And make sure it doesn’t happen again?’”

What started as a desperate attempt to turn things around eventually became something Pitt looked forward to. He shared that AA meetings became a safe space for healing. “It became something I’d look forward to,” he noted.

Brad Pitt’s Therapy and Sobriety

Pitt also discussed how his therapy journey mirrored his time in AA. “When I jumped into therapy then, I was just like, ‘And I did this and I did that,’” he said, describing the approach as “desperate.”

Shepard humorously agreed, saying, “You don’t come into AA because everything’s working out fantastic.” Pitt replied with a laugh, “No. That’s usually not the entry point.”

Continuing their candid conversation, Shepard said, “Your hair has gotta be on fire before you go like, ‘Yeah, I’ll go hang with a bunch of dudes and talk about emotions.’” Both actors agreed that seeking help often comes from a place of deep personal struggle.

Pitt first publicly spoke about his time in AA in a 2019 New York Times profile. He revealed that he joined the program in 2016, following his highly publicized split from Angelina Jolie.

“It was actually really freeing to just expose the ugly sides of yourself,” he said at the time. “There’s great value in that.”

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