Somewhere in an alternate timeline, Brad Pitt did have a gay experience. And in that timeline, we are all thriving.
But alas, in this one? “I kind of missed that window,” he says.
Brad Pitt — yes, the myth, the man, the desert thirst-trap of Thelma & Louise and still somehow getting hotter — sat down with Dax Shepard and Monica Padman on the Armchair Expert podcast to talk about his new film F1: The Movie. But the conversation veered wonderfully into unexpected territory: growing up under toxic masculinity, navigating sobriety, and whether the Golden God himself ever experimented sexually with men.
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“You know, I’ve never had a gay experience,” Pitt offered, sliding the confession in like a seasoned comic. “I kind of missed that window. But if I did, it wouldn’t be you.”
Shepard, laughing, responded, “Oh man, you had me. I was like, ‘Wow, he’s going to say it.'”
Pitt followed up without missing a beat: “[You’d be] maybe 14th, or 15th.”
And yes, we’ve all now imagined being #1 through #13. (And most of us are okay not being first — as long as we’re on the list.)
“I don’t want to brag, but you’re going to need to build up to me,” Shepard said, trying to reclaim a scrap of dignity. “I do recommend you start with some starters.”
Let’s be honest — Brad Pitt dropping lines like that feels like a gift to the gay community. He knows exactly what he’s doing, and we’re not mad.
But behind the playful back-and-forth was something heavier, more revealing. When Padman asked whether homophobic language was common when he was growing up, Pitt didn’t hesitate.
“Yeah,” he said. “‘Don’t cry.’ ‘Don’t be gay.’ ‘You fag.’ That kind of stuff. A lot of that.”
It’s a sharp contrast: the Hollywood heartthrob remembered globally for his soft-spoken swagger, talking about the blunt-force cruelty of boyhood in small-town Missouri.
“That was that error—that era, but error,” Padman added.
And it was an error — one so many queer people (and plenty of straight kids, too) are still unpacking. Pitt’s honesty here isn’t just a celebrity confession; it’s a moment of recognition. A man who grew up marinated in gender policing and anti-gay slurs, admitting he didn’t walk away unscathed — and maybe missed out on something real.
From Drinking to Men’s Group: Finding a New Language for Intimacy
The conversation circled back to something equally raw: sobriety. Shepard, who’s been vocal about being in A.A., asked if Pitt was comfortable talking about it publicly.
“No, not at all. Quite at ease,” Pitt replied. “We can say, ‘men’s group,’ right?”
“I say A.A. You’re not supposed to, but I say it,” Shepard added.
Pitt continued: “I said that on some New York Times interview, and what an amazing thing this experience was for me. It was a men’s group… when I first was getting sober. I just thought it was just incredible — men sharing their experiences.”
That detail — a “men’s group” where people talk without posturing — might be as close to a queer-positive space as many straight men of Pitt’s generation ever get. And maybe that’s part of what makes this conversation matter.
He shared that after the interview, someone from higher up in the A.A. structure “admonished” him. “It’s anonymous,” they reminded him.
Still, what stood out wasn’t the rule-breaking — it was the vulnerability. For someone who’s been idolized for decades as the textbook example of American masculinity, Pitt sounds most grounded when he’s shedding that armor. And in those spaces — the ones where men are allowed to feel — he’s discovering a different kind of intimacy.
Still the People’s Crush
To be clear, Brad Pitt isn’t coming out. He’s not hinting. He’s just riffing — with warmth, wit, and the kind of self-awareness that feels almost transgressive in a man that gorgeous.
But what made the moment resonate wasn’t the disappointment that he’s never kissed a boy. It was that, if he had, he’d own it. And we’d all cheer.
So no, Brad Pitt never had a gay experience. But in 2025, being able to say that without fear, without mockery, and with a gentle joke or two? That’s progress.
And for the record, Brad: if you’re ever curious, the window’s still open.
Watch the full podcast here: