Brad Pitt recalls ‘brief period’ of suicidal thoughts amid family struggles

Trigger warning: mentions of suicide

Brad Pitt has opened up about experiencing a brief period of suicidal thoughts, saying the experience changed the way he understood mental health.

In an interview with Esquire published Aug. 10, the Hollywood actor said he had never previously considered himself suicidal and described himself as a “congenital optimist.”

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“I’ve never been suicidal except for one little period. And in that one little period, 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 the cold steel of the bullet in my head, and it felt like relief,” he opened up.

“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,” added the actor.

The 62-year-old actor did not go into detail about what triggered the episode, saying only that it involved “family stuff.”

“This s–t ain’t easy,” Pitt said, while acknowledging that he considers himself fortunate in many aspects of his life. “You’re talking to a guy who won the lottery.”

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Pitt’s remarks comes as he continues to navigate the fallout from his highly publicized split from actress Angelina Jolie, with whom he shares six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Vivienne.

Pitt and Jolie began their relationship after meeting on the set of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” They tied the knot in 2014. Jolie filed for divorce two years later. The pair were declared legally single in 2019, while their divorce was finalized in 2024.

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Their children have also distanced themselves from the Pitt surname. Shiloh legally changed her name from Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie in 2024. Maddox and Zahara have also taken steps to remove “Pitt” from their names.

Most recently, Vivienne filed a petition in July to legally change her name from Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie, according to reports. The reason listed for the request was “personal.”

Following his split from Jolie, Pitt began dating jewelry designer Ines de Ramon. The pair has been linked since late 2022 and have been reported to be living under the same roof.

Meanwhile, Pitt is set to appear in the upcoming survival thriller “Heart of the Beast,” which is scheduled to be released in theaters on Sept. 25. He last starred in the Formula One racing film “F1” in 2025.