Brad Pitt says Alcoholics Anonymous literally ‘came down’ for him

Brad Pitt shared he was criticized by Alcoholics Anonymous for publicly discussing his involvement with the group.

Brad Pitt has recently shared that he faced criticism from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) for publicly acknowledging his involvement with the recovery group.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are still embroiled in a legal stalemate over their French winery

The 60-year-old Hollywood icon has been candid about his path to sobriety, especially following his highly publicized divorce from Angelina Jolie. After their split, there were reports suggesting that Pitt's alcohol consumption had contributed to heated arguments between the pair.

While sitting down for an interview with GQ, Pitt engaged in a frank discussion with his Ocean’s 11 co-stars, George Clooney, about their personal lives. During the conversation, Pitt touched, “You know they came down on me for that? AA did.”

“They were like, ‘It’s anonymous.’...” Clooney, surprised by this, responded, “Really? You got sh** for that?”, Pitt said, and added, “I’m not outing anyone. Everyone knows you exist. What’s the issue?”

Pitt’s journey toward sobriety began after the breakdown with Jolie

The Bullet Train star told GQ in 2022, “I had a really cool men’s group here that was really private and selective, so it was safe.”

The actor had observed how some individuals were recorded while sharing deeply personal stories in other settings, a violation of trust that he found deeply troubling. “That’s just atrocious to me,” he said.

Speaking to the New York Times in 2019, Pitt shared, “I had taken things as far as I could take it, so I removed my drinking privileges.” To support his sobriety, he attended AA meetings for a year and a half following his split from Jolie.

“You had all these men sitting around being open and honest in a way I have never heard,” he remarked.

“It was this safe space where there was little judgment, and therefore little judgment of yourself.” Pitt also found it “freeing” to be able to share the more difficult aspects of himself with a group of strangers.