Brad Pitt is speaking candidly about a brief but harrowing period during which the weight of personal pain became almost unbearable — revealing in a new Esquire cover story published August 10 that he once understood, viscerally, why people consider ending their lives, even though he never acted on those thoughts.
The “F1” actor, 62, shared the rare admission in an interview with Esquire journalist Ryan D’Agostino, describing a period of extreme emotional distress he attributed to “family stuff.” The wide-ranging discussion addressed topics including grief, mental health, the death of his mother, and his estrangement from multiple children he shares with former wife Angelina Jolie.
Dark Thoughts and a Survival Instinct
Pitt was careful to frame his experience with precision, stressing that suicidal ideation has never been part of his nature. He described himself instead as a “congenital optimist” who typically maintains a positive outlook despite decades of challenges both public and private.
Pitt said that during one particularly difficult period related to family issues, his emotional anguish became so severe that he found himself contemplating relief in ways he had never previously experienced. Though he stressed he had no intention of following through, the thoughts felt disturbingly vivid. He credited his instinct for self-preservation with pulling him back from that mental precipice almost instantly.
The experience gave him a deeper empathy for those who do not find their way back — people searching not for death itself, but for an end to unbearable pain.
Children’s Name Changes and the Jolie Divorce
The family difficulties Pitt referenced likely involve his drawn-out and acrimonious separation from Jolie, who filed for divorce in 2016. Their divorce became final in December 2024 following years of court battles.
The fractures within the family have played out in unusually public ways. Several of the six children Pitt shares with Jolie have taken legal steps to remove “Pitt” from their surnames. Maddox, 24, filed paperwork seeking to drop the name, citing personal reasons. Zahara, 21, introduced herself as “Zahara Marley Jolie” while being initiated into the sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha at Spelman College, and later sought legal recognition of the name change. Shiloh, 20, petitioned a Los Angeles court to remove “Pitt” from her name after turning 18 in May 2024.
Knox, 18, omitted the surname from his high school graduation materials, according to reports. Vivienne, also 18, appeared as “Vivienne Jolie” in the Playbill for the Broadway musical “The Outsiders,” and on July 12 became the latest sibling to pursue formal legal documentation of the name change. Pax, 22, rounds out the six children. None have publicly explained their reasoning.
Grief Over the Loss of Jane Pitt
Layered on top of the family ruptures is a more recent and profound loss. Jane Pitt, Brad’s mother, died in August 2025 at age 84. The actor is now processing that grief openly — and thoughtfully — one year later.
The subject arose organically during the Esquire interview when Pitt noticed that D’Agostino had a tattoo honoring his late brother, who died roughly five years earlier. Pitt said that around the five-year point after a major loss, mourners often start to feel capable of breathing normally again and can begin to absorb the reality of their grief.
Pitt said he views grief as possibly the most equalizing of all human experiences, erasing distinctions of fame, money, and position, and leaving everyone vulnerable to its force. He characterized bereavement as both crushing and, for those who endure it, capable of yielding a painful kind of grace. He also spoke about his father’s experience after Jane’s passing, observing that dying first may be preferable to being the survivor left to mourn.
Pitt said that he and his father, both raised in rural Missouri, share a relationship typical of men from their background: they rarely engage in deep emotional conversations, but when they do speak from the heart, their words carry significant weight.
At the time of Jane Pitt’s death, Pitt’s niece Sydney — daughter of his brother, Doug — paid tribute to her grandmother on social media, describing her as having “the biggest heart” and someone who “cared deeply for everyone and everything, no questions asked.”
A Full Career Slate Despite Personal Turmoil
Despite the weight of recent years, Pitt is entering one of the most professionally active stretches of his career. Following the release of “F1,” he has completed filming on the survival thriller “Heart of the Beast,” due out Sept. 25. He has also wrapped “The Adventures of Cliff Booth” and has “The Riders” on his upcoming slate.
Director David Fincher, a longtime collaborator and friend, even gets a mention in the Esquire piece — Pitt recounts Fincher’s wry take on his optimism, joking that yes, Pitt sees the glass as half full, but that it’s half full of something far less appealing than water.
Throughout the interview, Pitt resists self-pity while refusing to minimize what he has endured. He acknowledged plainly that navigating the past several years — the divorce, the estrangement, the grief, and the dark thoughts — has not been simple, even for someone as fortunate as himself.
Resources are available for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis. Contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by phone or text at 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to chat online.