'I needed rebooting': Brad Pitt opens up about first AA meeting after 'difficult' divorce

Brad Pitt is opening up about his experience in recovery.

During an appearance on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard which was released on Monday, the 61-year-old actor talked about getting to know Shepard – who is also in recovery – through an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting they both attended.

"I was pretty much on my back, on my knees. I was really open. I was trying anything anyone threw at me," Pitt said about first attending AA.

Watch the video above.

"It was a particularly difficult time. I needed rebooting. I needed to wake the f--- up in some areas."

"You don't come into AA because everything's working out fantastic," Shepard said.

"No," Pitt replied. "That's usually not the entry point."

"It's not the winner's club," Shepard added.

"Your hair has gotta be on fire before you go like, 'Yeah, I'll go hang with a bunch of dudes and talk about emotions'."

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During the chat Shepard praised Pitt for being "so f---ing honest" at the time.

The Golden Globe winner admitted it felt daunting to known that his turn was coming around the circle, but he also felt inspired watching "everyone [being] so open".

"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.

Pitt added that it also meant a lot to see Shepard's own honesty too.

"I just thought it was incredible, men sharing their experiences with their foibles, their missteps, their wants, their aches and a lot of humor with it," he said.

The F1 star explained that he learnt a lot from the other men in the group and the meetings became something he looked forward to.

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During the interview Pitt also acknowledged that he can be "a stubborn f---."

"But when I've stepped in s--t, I'm pretty good at taking responsibility for it and owning up to it," Pitt said.

"Now it's a quest to what can I do with this and how can I right this and make sure it doesn't happen again," he added.

"Be better, step up."

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While Pitt didn't specify when the AA meeting took place, he previously said that he attended meetings for a year and a half, following his divorce from Angelina Jolie in 2016.

"I had taken things as far as I could take it, so I removed my drinking privileges," Pitt told the New York Times in 2019.

His drinking problem allegedly contributed to the downfall of his marriage with Jolie.

The Mr. and Mrs. Smith co-stars were declared legally single in 2019 and settled their divorce in 2024.

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