Brad Pitt Once Had A Serious Problem With The Eggs At Costco

As far as his formerly immaculate public image goes, Brad Pitt had an uneven 2022. The ongoing legal fallout surrounding his 2016 split from ex-wife Angelina Jolie brought some details about his personal behavior to light, per The New York Times. His would-be summer blockbuster "Bullet Train" was met with critical ambivalence and unspectacular box-office returns. However, early reactions to the Damien Chazelle-directed "Babylon" in which Pitt co-stars with Margot Robbie have been largely positive, so perhaps things are looking up for the one-time Tyler Durden.

But at the end of the day, regardless of how many other things can be said about Brad Pitt, nobody can accuse him of never doing anything nice for chickens.

Back in 2015, an investigation by the Humane Society of the United States found that Costco had been keeping its egg-laying hens in barbaric conditions. Pitt was among a few famous animal allies who wielded his celebrity status to deliver the bulk retailer a public shaming.    

According to a report by The Guardian, Pitt joined forces with Bill Maher and Ryan Gosling in a campaign against Costco's use of battery cages, which are commonly used at factory farms and confine their hen inhabitants to deeply unsanitary existences of insanity and misery. 

In an open letter to then-Costco CEO Craig Jelinek, Pitt wrote, "These birds producing eggs for your shelves are crammed five or more into cages that are not large enough for even one hen to spread her wings. In these cruel cages, the animals' muscles and bones atrophy from years of immobilisation." Pitt went on to note that battery cages were already banned in most of Europe and California. 

Years later, Costco's treatment of chickens remains a contentious issue. Although its public relations material indicates that the wholesale store chain takes animal welfare seriously, Costco was sued in June of 2022 for allegedly forcing chickens to endure downright Cronenbergian body horror that purportedly violates multiple livestock welfare laws.