Brad Pitt Felt 'Suicidal' Navigating 'Family Stuff' 10 Years After Highly Publicized Angelina Jolie Divorce: 'Didn't See a Way Out'

Brad Pitt admitted that he experienced a brief period of suicidal ideation due to "family stuff," clarifying that while he is generally a "congenital optimist," he struggled to find a way out during that specific dark time.

In an interview published by Esquire on August 10, Pitt walked back his initial statement about his baseline makeup to reveal the brief period of intense mental distress.

When asked about the catalyst for these thoughts, Pitt attributed them directly to "family stuff," following a highly publicized 2016 split and subsequent lengthier legal proceedings with ex-wife Angelina Jolie.

“I was never suicidal in any way. It just was not my makeup. In fact, if I have any afflictions, it’s probably being a congenital optimist. Which has helped many times, and it’s also gotten me — I’ve walked foolishly head-on into a Mack truck because of my optimism,” the 62-year-old said.

The actor continued, using sarcasm to explain his optimism.

“Or, as my forever-funny friend David Fincher will say, yeah, you see the glass as half full, but it’s half full of urine. Anyway, I’ve never been suicidal except for one little period. And in that one little period, I just thought — I just couldn’t — just didn’t see a way out. The pain was so oppressive that — I wasn’t going to act on this, but I could feel — I could feel the cold steel of the bullet in my head, and it felt like relief. And I thought, Oh, okay, now I understand — I understand suicide, in the sense that it’s just relief. It’s just looking for relief from the pain. But I also think we have incredible survival instincts. And for me, that immediately kicked in, but it was just...” Pitt said before awkwardly pausing.

“Yeah. Like, listen: This s--- ain’t easy,” he admitted. “And you’re talking to a guy who won the lottery.”

In the same Esquire interview, the actor shared updates on his lifestyle, noting that he has stepped "back off the wagon" and is drinking wine more moderately after seven years of complete sobriety.

Pitt and Jolie, who officially divorced in 2024, are embroiled in an escalating legal war over financial records in their winery dispute, paired with the complete dissolution of their custody agreement as their youngest children reach adulthood.

In August filings, Pitt’s legal team filed a motion asking a judge to compel Jolie to hand over her Hollywood movie contracts, brand sponsorships and film earnings from 2017 to 2019.

Pitt, who has been dating jewelry industry executive Ines de Ramon since 2022, is challenging Jolie’s previous claim that she sold her stake in the winery in 2021 to achieve "financial independence" from him, claiming she is withholding records of her substantial Hollywood income.

Jolie’s legal team strongly opposes the request, calling it a "serious invasion of privacy" and labeling the demand as "essentially more controlling conduct by Pitt.”

The two actors are expected to head to a formal trial regarding the winery in August 2027.