EXCLUSIVE: Brad Pitt Reveals 'Family Stuff' Left Him at His Lowest Point
Brad Pitt reveals how 'family stuff' left him at his lowest point and struggling to find his footing.
Sept. 4 2026, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
Brad Pitt seemingly has it all.
At 62, the still-hunky Hollywood heartthrob has two Oscars, a fortune worth hundreds of millions, a red-hot career, a stunning girlfriend nearly 30 years his junior and the kind of fame most actors can only dream about, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
But sources said the Fight Club hunk is missing something no amount of money or movie stardom can replace – a close relationship with his six children.
Pitt Reveals His Darkest Moment
Brad Pitt told 'Esquire' he experienced a brief period of suicidal thoughts.
And now Pitt has made the stunning admission that amid agonizing "family stuff," he sank so low he could understand suicide – and even imagined the sensation of a bullet in his head.
"I've never been suicidal except for one little period," Pitt revealed in a startling new interview with Esquire. "And in that one little period, I just thought – I just couldn't – just didn't see a way out."
The emotional pain became so overwhelming, Pitt said, that death suddenly seemed to offer an escape.
"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."
The Oscar winner says the frightening thought gave him a new understanding of what can drive a desperate person to the brink.
Pitt Links Dark Period to 'Family Stuff'
Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in 2016.
"I understand suicide, in the sense that it's just relief," he explained. "It's just looking for relief from the pain."
Fortunately, Pitt insisted he never intended to follow through – and said his natural survival instinct quickly kicked in.
But when his interviewer asked whether the dark period involved "kid stuff," Pitt tellingly replied: "Family stuff. We could leave it at that."
His family has been fractured since Angelina Jolie, 51, filed for divorce in 2016 after she accused Pitt of physically abusing her and more than one of their children aboard a private plane.
Estrangement From Kids 'Ripped' Pitt Apart
Shiloh Jolie legally removed 'Pitt' from her surname in 2024.
Pitt was cleared of wrongdoing by child welfare officials, while the FBI investigated the incident but declined to file charges. Their bitter divorce dragged on for eight years before finally being settled in 2024.
The former couple shares Maddox [Jolie-Pitt], 25, Pax [Jolie-Pitt], 22, Zahara [Jolie-Pitt], 21, Shiloh [Jolie-Pitt], 20, and 18-year-old twins Knox [Jolie-Pitt] and Vivienne [Jolie-Pitt] – and Brad is reportedly estranged from several of them.
Four have even taken legal steps to remove "Pitt" from their surnames. Shiloh successfully changed hers to Jolie in 2024, while Maddox, Zahara and, most recently, Vivienne have filed their own petitions.
"It's no secret that the loss of his kids hit him like a ton of bricks and ripped his morale to shreds," an insider told RadarOnline.com.
Pitt Admits He's Drinking Again
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After seven years of sobriety, Pitt said he began drinking again in moderation.
Meanwhile, Brad has also revealed he's drinking again after seven years of sobriety, although he insists he now imbibes only in moderation.
"I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon," he admitted, adding that he learned after getting "overconfident a couple times" that heavy drinking is "not good for me."
Despite everything, Brad said he remains a "congenital optimist" who knows he's been extraordinarily fortunate.
"This s--- ain't easy," he said. "And you're talking to a guy who won the lottery."
