Brad Pitt has candidly revealed that he never had a gay experience, but not for lack of curiosity. The actor says he simply “missed that window.”
Appearing on the Armchair Expert podcast with hosts Dax Shepard and Monica Padman to promote F1: The Movie, in which he stars as Sonny Hayes and also serves as a producer, Pitt opened up about his sobriety, childhood experiences with homophobia, and a few playful exchanges about sexuality.
In a light-hearted moment early in the conversation, Shepard joked about how the two met. Pitt interrupted, laughing, “Sexually, you mean?” prompting more jokes from Padman and Shepard.
“You know, I’ve never had a gay experience,” Pitt said. “I kind of missed that window. But if I did, it wouldn’t be you,” he added, teasing Shepard.
Shepard laughed: “Oh man, you had me. I was like, ‘Wow, he’s going to say it.’” Pitt responded cheekily, “[You’d be] maybe 14th, or 15th.” The banter continued with Shepard joking that Pitt should “start with some starters” before working up to him.
The podcast later shifted to more serious territory, with Shepard asking if Pitt is comfortable talking about Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) and identifying as a recovering alcoholic. “No, not at all. Quite at ease,” Pitt said. “It was a men’s group… when I first was getting sober. I just thought it was just incredible — men sharing their experiences.”
Pitt also recalled that after discussing his A.A. journey in a New York Times interview, he was “admonished by someone of the higher-ups” for violating the organisation’s anonymity principle.
The conversation turned to Pitt’s childhood in Missouri, where he and his brother were often called homophobic slurs. “Don’t cry. Don’t be gay. You fag,” Pitt recalled being told. “That kind of stuff. A lot of that.” He noted the toxic masculinity prevalent during that era, quipping that it was both a product of the time and an error.
Pitt, known for his openness about personal growth in recent years, has continued to be refreshingly honest about topics many stars avoid — even joking about what might have been in another life.
