Brad Pitt Reveals The Major Life Change He Made After His Divorce From Angelina Jolie

After years of tumult, the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie saga has finally calmed down. Pitt and Jolie met on the set "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" back in 2004, which was problematic because Pitt was married to Jennifer Aniston at the time. Nevertheless, they got together and stayed together for 12 years. As a couple, the two traveled the world for Jolie's work as a human rights ambassador and adopted three kids. They also had three biological children, Shiloh and twins Knox and Vivienne.

Things took a sharp turn in 2016 when the FBI was called in to investigate an alleged domestic dispute between Pitt and his eldest son Maddox on a private plane. According to sources, Pitt and Jolie were fighting during the final leg of a long trip home to LA, prompting Maddox to intervene, per Us Weekly. As the incident happened in the air, it fell within the jurisdiction of the FBI, which made it huge news. Jolie filed for divorce shortly after. 

What followed was a lengthy custody battle, which remains ongoing. While he fights his ex in the courts, Pitt has turned some of his attention back on himself and is committed to getting his life back on track.

After a contentious divorce, Brad Pitt is doing his best to get back to the healthiest version of himself. To the Academy Award winner, that means facing his addictive habits head on. During a new interview with GQ, Pitt explained he started attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings shortly after splitting from Angelina Jolie in 2016. "I had a really cool men's group here that was really private and selective, so it was safe," he said. For good measure, Pitt also cut out smoking — something he'd done his entire adult life — and replaced it with nicotine gum. "I don't have that ability to do just one or two [cigarettes] a day," he said "It's not in my makeup. I'm all in."

Pitts's journey has been about much more than addiction, though. In the years since his divorce, he has done a ruthless overhaul on his internal life. "I think I spent years with a low-grade depression, and it's not until coming to terms with that, trying to embrace all sides of self—the beauty and the ugly—that I've been able to catch those moments of joy," Pitt explained.

This new, stoic attitude might come in handy, as Pitt's custody battle with Jolie is still far from over. "It's very clear to him that Angie has gone out of her way to delay and stall the process," a source told Us Weekly. "Month after month goes by with one piece of red tape after another, endless jumping through hoops and bickering between their lawyers with no resolution."

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).