Published on Show Me Mizzou Sept. 16, 2025
MIZZOU tends to highlight research-based stargazing, but celebrities occasionally make the cut. One of our most famous alums, movie star Brad Pitt, recently has been lighting up Tiger social media feeds thanks to a newly surfaced party photo and an illuminating podcast appearance. The photo, labeled “Riverboat Riot Fall ’83,” captures 19-year-old Pitt mid-laugh, yellow cup in hand, looking like your average fraternity brother. Nearly 42 years later, while promoting the blockbuster racing film F1, Pitt joined Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert and looked back on his Mizzou years, especially the circumstances that led to him not getting his diploma. “I actually went through graduation,” he said. “I just didn’t finish my last week of classes and actually graduate.” Pitt’s parents were already coming, he added, so for the School of Journalism graduation ceremony, he “walked the line, hat and all.”
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