Brad Pitt offered his Esquire interviewer a glass of wine. When asked if the bottle was just for guests, he admitted it wasn’t. The actor is drinking again after seven years of sobriety, though he says he’s keeping it under control this time. “I was sober for seven years,” Pitt told the magazine. “And then I got back off the wagon. In a more restrained manner.” Pitt’s admission adds a new chapter to a sobriety journey he has discussed publicly for years, including the 2016 split from Angelina Jolie that led him to Alcoholics Anonymous.
Pitt Explains What Changed
The film producer, 62, discussed his current relationship with alcohol during an interview with Esquire published Monday, August 10. The subject came up after the actor offered his interviewer wine during a conversation at his Los Angeles home. “I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon,” Pitt said with a laugh.
The F1 star explained that returning to alcohol has involved learning what he can and cannot handle. He acknowledged becoming too confident about his ability to drink on a couple of occasions before recognizing that consuming larger amounts was not right for him.
“In a more restrained manner. I got overconfident a couple times, went, ‘Yep, nope, not good for me,’” he explained. “Not in big quantities.” Pitt told Esquire that he “can have a few” glasses of wine but “can’t have a lot.” “I have to be professional about it,” he added. The admission marks a notable change for Pitt, who has spent years speaking candidly about his decision to give up alcohol following the end of his marriage to Angelina Jolie.
His Sobriety Journey Began Amid Major Family Changes
The award-winning actor’s decision to stop drinking came during a major turning point in his personal life. Angelina Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016, and Pitt later revealed that he joined Alcoholics Anonymous. “I had taken things as far as I could take it, so I removed my drinking privilege,” he told The New York Times in 2019. The following year, Pitt credited Bradley Cooper with helping him “get sober,” adding that “every day has been happier ever since.”
His family relationships have also changed considerably since the split. Pitt and Jolie share Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh and twins Knox and Vivienne. Shiloh legally removed Pitt from her surname in 2024, while Page Six reported that Maddox and Zahara filed similar petitions in 2026. In July, Vivienne also petitioned to become Vivienne Marcheline Jolie, citing “personal” reasons. Knox has used “Knox Jolie” without filing for a legal change, while Pax reportedly remains connected to members of Pitt’s extended family despite having little relationship with his father.
During a 2025 appearance on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, The Thelma & Louise actor recalled arriving at his first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting during an especially challenging point in his life. He described the meeting as “amazing” and said he had been “pretty much on [his] knees” at the time.
“I was trying anything and everything, anything anyone threw at me … It was a difficult time. I needed rebooting,” Pitt explained. Pitt admitted that opening up in front of the group initially felt intimidating. As his turn to speak moved closer, however, listening to other participants candidly discuss their own experiences helped change his perspective.
“It gives you permission to go, ‘OK, I’m gonna step out on this edge and see what happens.’ And then I really grew to love it,” he recalled. That willingness to speak openly about difficult periods has continued. During his Esquire interview, Pitt also discussed a particularly painful chapter involving what he described simply as “family stuff.”
He said there was “one little period” when the emotional pain became overwhelming, although he stressed that he did not intend to harm himself. “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,” Pitt said.
Pitt Is Looking Ahead to His Next Chapter
Despite reflecting on some painful years, Pitt remains busy professionally and personally. His relationship with jewelry executive Ines de Ramon has become increasingly public since the couple was first linked in 2022. Pitt also continues to maintain a packed acting schedule, with Heart of the Beast and The Adventures of Cliff Booth among his upcoming projects. He recently finished work on the thriller The Riders.
As Pitt moves through his 60s, he admitted to Esquire that there is one period of his life he would gladly revisit. “God, I want my fifties back…I would do more,” Pitt said. “Your fifties are just – man, anything that’s on your mind, go. Go attack it. Go attack it now.” His latest admission suggests that his approach to alcohol has changed, too. Seven years of complete sobriety may have ended, but Pitt says experience has left him with a clearer understanding of the limits he now intends to maintain.
