Russell Brand was remanded in custody after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault at court today. The comedian and actor gave no reaction other than to close his eyes when he learned his fate.
A senior crown prosecutor described Brand as "predatory" following the verdict. He was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, but not guilty on three other counts.
As the verdicts were returned over allegations made against Brand, 51, attention has turned to his life in the spotlight since his teenage years, from drug addiction and TV fame to finding religion.
Early Life and Family
In his 2007 memoir, Brand claimed his father Ronald paid for him to lose his virginity to a sex worker when he was 17, during a trip to Hong Kong. He wrote: "The episode that defined my relationship with women occurred in Hong Kong with my dad. I was 17. On day one we went to some sleazy dive. Before long I was sat on a bar stool with a Filipino called Mary-Lou. Then we were leaving in a cab with three Asian prostitutes my dad was drunkenly herding."
Brand's mother Barbara, who split from Ron when Brand was six months old, raised him. When he was eight, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer and breast cancer. In 2018, she suffered a serious car accident on her way to babysit his daughter, breaking her back, neck and eight ribs.
Addiction and Comedy Career
Brand has spoken openly about his drug use, including cocaine, crack, marijuana, LSD and heroin. In his autobiography, he said: "Ever since the first couple of times I'd smoked it, in my early 20s, I had always maintained a great interest in heroin. I'd sort of fallen in love with the warmth of it - the way it felt like crawling back into the womb."
His first taste of fame came in stand-up comedy, performing at the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year final in 2000. Four years later, he took his one-man show Better Now to the Edinburgh Festival, documenting his heroin addiction. He later toured the UK, United States and Australia, including a Royal Variety Show appearance before Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
TV, Hollywood and Controversy
In the early 2000s, Brand worked as a video journalist on MTV UK and hosted Dancefloor Chart and Select. He was dismissed days after coming to work dressed as Osama Bin Laden following the 11 September attacks in 2001. In 2004, he hosted Big Brother's Eforum, later known as Big Brother's Big Mouth.
His Hollywood career began in 2008 with Forgetting Sarah Marshall, followed by Get Him to the Greek and voice roles in Despicable Me and the Minions movies. In 2008, he and Jonathan Ross sparked controversy by broadcasting lewd answerphone messages left for actor Andrew Sachs. Ofcom fined the BBC £150,000 over the calls.
Marriage, Religion and Family
Brand married Katy Perry in 2010 at the Aman-e-Khas resort in India. He later admitted he "didn't handle that marriage very well." He converted to Christianity in April 2024 and was baptised in the River Thames.
Brand married Laura in 2017, and they share three children. She was with him in court today. The couple first met in 2006 at the Edinburgh festival and rekindled their romance in 2015.
