Brad Pitt Reacts To Melissa Etheridge’s Angelina Jolie Double Mastectomy Criticism

Brad Pitt has come to Angelina Jolie’s defense after Melissa Etheridge flatly said the actress’ choice of a preventive double mastectomy was made out of fear, not courage, after she discovered she carried a rare mutated BRCA1 gene, which left her with an increased risk of breast cancer.

Jolie wrote about her decision in a New York Times oped piece, “My Medical Choice,” but singer Etheridge slammed the Academy Award winner, saying her choice was “fearful” not “brave.” Now Jolie’s life partner has come to her aid, but it doesn’t mean he’s going to badmouth his longtime pal either.

While he was at a red carpet event for “World War Z” in New York City, Pitt told Us Weekly he hadn’t even heard Etheridge’s comment until Monday. "Melissa's an old friend of mine," he told the mag. "I'm sure we'll talk on the phone. I don't know what it is."

Etheridge is a breast cancer survivor herself, and speaking to The Washington Blade recently, she wasn't too impressed with the decision Jolie made when she was faced with cancer. "I wouldn't call it a brave choice," the 52-year-old singer said. "My belief is that cancer comes from inside you and so much of it has to do with the environment of your body. It's the stress that will turn that gene on or not."

“Plenty of people have the gene mutation and everything but it never comes to cancer," Etheridge continued. "I would say to anybody faced with that, that choice is way down the line on the spectrum of what you can do and to really consider the advancements we've made in things like nutrition and stress levels."

But Pitt doesn’t see it that way. He was stood by Jolie’s side throughout her decision to remove both her breasts and was in awe with his lover’s heroism. "I think it's an individual decision and I found it very empowering instead of scary," he told Us Weekly. "We experienced the exact opposite."