Angelina Jolie was "not surprised" that Brad Pitt has started drinking again, according to sources close to the Hollywood actress. The Fight Club actor, 62, had been sober for seven years but revealed in a new interview that he has fallen off the wagon.
Background to sobriety
Brad first turned his back on alcohol after splitting from Jolie following claims of an incident on board a private jet in 2016. He denied allegations of a drunken row with Angelina and their children, and the FBI closed the case. Days later, Angelina filed for divorce, leading to long legal battles over custody and their French winery. Brad now has virtually no contact with his older children.
Over the years, Brad attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, describing them as an "incredible" experience that changed his life. However, after almost a decade of not drinking, he recently confessed that he's "off the wagon" – but is not drinking excessively.
Reaction from Jolie's camp
Speaking to Esquire UK, Brad said: "I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon… In a more restrained manner. I got overconfident a couple times, went, yep, nope, not good for me. Not in big quantities."
However, sources reportedly close to his ex-wife, Angelina, have said that the actress wasn't surprised by this revelation. "Angelina is not surprised. She tried to warn people. She knew this was always a possibility," they said. The source claimed to Rob Shuter's Naughty But Nice column that Angelina had "long believed that sobriety did not necessarily mean the underlying problems [Brad had] had disappeared." They added: "She doesn't believe Brad has fundamentally changed. She believes Brad is who Brad is, and no amount of sobriety or reinvention changes that."
But a source close to Brad told the Mirror of his decision to drink again: "This was a personal decision. He has spent years reflecting on his relationship with alcohol and knows what works for him."
Family estrangement
During Brad's interview with Esquire, the actor said that he can "have a few" glasses of wine now but can no longer indulge any further. Instead, it was said that Brad likes mornings now, and you can often miss a "lovely" morning after drinking too much the night before.
Brad, who is now in a relationship with Ines de Ramon, has been involved in a very bitter legal battle since his split from Angelina and is now estranged from their children. Just last month, his daughter, Vivienne, 18, followed in the footsteps of her older siblings and petitioned in the Los Angeles County Superior Court to ditch Pitt from her surname. Vivienne cited "personal" reasons for her name change. An official hearing is set for November 2.
Daughter Zahara and son Maddox also published notices, in the Los Angeles Daily Journal between June and July, that they were planning to ditch Pitt from their surname. Shiloh, who was born Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, also changed her name to Shiloh Jolie. Knox, Vivienne's twin brother, is the only child to not have ditched his father's surname. Vivienne was billed as Vivienne Jolie in the official playbill for her work in the 2024 Broadway production of The Outsiders, while Knox chose to go by Knox Jolie on his diploma from Fusion Academy.
Pax has also made his feelings towards the actor clear. He headlines when a 2020 Father's Day post he reportedly shared on a private Instagram account was unearthed by the MailOnline. "Happy Father's Day to this world-class a***hole," Pax reportedly addressed the message to his adoptive father. "You time and time and again prove yourself to be a terrible and despicable person. You have no consideration or empathy toward your four youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence."
If you are struggling with alcohol abuse or addiction, advice and support can be found at alcoholchange.org.uk. The Mirror has approached spokespeople for both Brad and Angelina.
