Angelina Jolie Reportedly Had a Telling Reaction to Brad Pitt Drinking Again After Seven Years Sober

Brad Pitt has revealed a major change in his personal life, confirming that he began drinking alcohol again after maintaining sobriety for seven years. Now, a separate report claims his former wife, Angelina Jolie, was not surprised by the development.

The important distinction is that Jolie has not publicly commented on Pitt’s latest revelation. The claim about her reaction comes from an unnamed source quoted by Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice column. Pitt’s comments about his own alcohol use, however, came directly from the actor in a new Esquire interview published August 10, 2026.

Brad Pitt Confirms He Is No Longer Sober

Pitt, 62, spoke candidly when Esquire asked about the seven-year period during which he abstained from alcohol.

“I was sober for seven years,” Pitt said, before revealing that he eventually began drinking again.

According to Pitt, his current approach is considerably different from his past relationship with alcohol. He described drinking in a “more restrained manner” and acknowledged that there have been occasions when he became too confident about what he could handle.

He also made clear that he recognizes his limits, explaining that while he may have a few glasses of wine, consuming larger amounts does not work for him.

The admission marks a notable shift because Pitt had spent years speaking positively about sobriety and the personal changes that followed his decision to stop drinking.

Angelina Jolie’s Reported Reaction Comes From an Unnamed Source

Following Pitt’s revelation, Stars Insider cited Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice column, which attributed comments about Jolie’s reaction to an unidentified insider.

According to that account, Jolie was supposedly “not surprised” and believed a return to drinking had always been possible.

Those claims should be treated carefully.

They are not direct quotations from Jolie, nor has the actress publicly confirmed that the unnamed source accurately represents her feelings. For that reason, presenting the remarks as Jolie’s established position would go beyond what has actually been verified.

What can be independently confirmed is Pitt’s decision to resume drinking because he discussed it himself.

Pitt Stopped Drinking Following His 2016 Separation

Pitt’s sobriety began during one of the most difficult periods of his personal life.

Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016 after an incident involving the family aboard a private flight. Authorities investigated allegations surrounding the incident, but Pitt was not charged. Their divorce would ultimately stretch across approximately eight years before a settlement was reached in late 2024.

In a revealing 2017 interview with GQ Style, Pitt discussed examining his behavior after the separation and acknowledged that alcohol had become a serious issue in his life.

He explained that he had stopped drinking and was focusing on therapy and confronting aspects of himself that he believed needed to change.

That interview became one of Pitt’s earliest detailed public discussions about his sobriety.

Alcoholics Anonymous Became Part of His Recovery

Pitt later revealed that he attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings after his separation.

During a June 2025 appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, the actor described entering the program during an exceptionally vulnerable period.

Pitt said he was willing to try almost anything that might help him change and described the openness he encountered in the meetings as meaningful. He particularly appreciated hearing people speak candidly about their experiences without hiding their struggles.

His comments reinforced an image Pitt had publicly presented for years: that giving up alcohol had been connected to a broader period of self-examination.

That makes his latest admission particularly noteworthy.

Pitt Says His Approach to Alcohol Is Different Now

Pitt isn’t claiming that he simply returned to his old drinking habits.

Instead, the actor told Esquire that he stopped being sober roughly three years ago and now attempts to regulate his consumption carefully. People, summarizing the interview, reported that Pitt said he drinks moderately and understands that consuming too much alcohol isn’t workable for him.

Whether that approach remains sustainable is a personal matter that only Pitt and those close to him can assess.

It would also be inappropriate to characterize his decision medically without information from Pitt or his healthcare providers. His own description is currently the clearest available account.

Pitt and Jolie’s Marriage Ended After Years of Legal Conflict

Pitt and Jolie became one of Hollywood’s most closely watched couples after developing a relationship following Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

They eventually married at Château Miraval in France in August 2014 and share six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne.

Their separation two years later triggered years of legal proceedings involving their divorce, children and other disputes.

A judge approved their divorce settlement in December 2024, more than eight years after Jolie originally filed. Their separate legal dispute involving Château Miraval has continued beyond the divorce proceedings.

What Has Actually Been Confirmed

The latest story ultimately contains two very different levels of sourcing.

Pitt has personally confirmed that he ended his seven-year period of sobriety and now drinks alcohol in what he describes as a more controlled manner. His comments were made directly to Esquire and have subsequently been reported by People.

The suggestion that Jolie expected this to happen is different. It remains an anonymous-source claim rather than something Jolie has said publicly.

That distinction matters, particularly given how closely every development involving the former couple has been scrutinized since their 2016 separation.

For now, Pitt has chosen to speak publicly about another complicated chapter of his personal life. Jolie, at least publicly, has not offered her opinion about it.

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