Why Brad Pitt Was Chastised by Alcoholics Anonymous

The actor was reprimanded for speaking too publicly about the program.

By Michael Hein

Actor Bad Pitt revealed that he was chastised by Alcoholics Anonymous for revealing his participation in the group. Pitt got sober in September of 2016 with the help of the program, and he has spoken about it in a few interviews over the years. Last week, he told GQ that some of the organizers didn't care for his sharing.

Last week, Pitt and George Clooney sat down for a joint profile with GQ's Zach Baron, who had interviewed both actors before. Baron recalled that in their last discussion, Pitt was "thinking a lot about what it means to be a man, to be a father, and you've been pretty out front about your time in an all-male AA group in Los Angeles." Pitt cut in here, saying: "Yeah, that was really cool. But you know they came down on me for that? AA did. They were like, 'It's anonymous.' I was like, 'Well yeah, but if I want to..."

Clooney was surprised to hear this, chiming in: "Really? You got s— for that?" And Pitt went on: "I'm not outing anyone. Everyone knows you exist. What's the issue?"

Pitt is far from the first celebrity to publicly confirm that they are a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, or similar programs like Narcotics Anonymous. It's unclear if the organization discourages members from publicly revealing this information, but judging by Pitt's description, it's not a hard and fast rule. It's also not uncommon for non-famous people to share their AA or NA status with friends and family, especially as they progress through the recovery process.

For AA organizers, it's possible that celebrity anonymity is especially important. Fans or paparazzi could descend on a meeting where they suspect Pitt to be attending, jeopardizing the anonymity of everyone else present. However, no AA organizers have commented publicly on Pitt's recent interview, so it's not clear what the real motivation was behind reprimanding him.

Pitt and Baron were referring to a 2022 interview for GQ, but by then Pitt's sobriety was common knowledge. The actor got sober shortly after his long-time wife Angelina Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, and he didn't stay anonymous for long. He spoke about his sobriety that very same year in an interview with The New York Times. In their first interview, he told Baron: "I had a really cool men's group here that was really private and selective, so it was safe. Because I'd seen things of other people who had been recorded while they were spilling their guts, and that's just atrocious to me."

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In 2019, Pitt also spoke at length about sobriety with fellow actor Anthony Hopkins, who is a recovering alcoholic, too. They recorded a conversation together for Interview, and Pitt credited Bradley Cooper for helping him get sober. You can learn more about the Alcoholics Anonymous program and its rules on its website here.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). SAMHSA's National Helpline is free, confidential and available 24/7.

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