Russell Brand admitted in a resurfaced interview that he thought about going to prison “every day” in the months leading up to his rape and sexual assault trial. The disgraced comedian made the confession during an appearance on Piers Morgan's YouTube show Uncensored back in April, where he discussed the possibility of being jailed.
Wearing a crucifix around his neck, the 51-year-old, who carried a bible to court, was asked by Mr Morgan whether he considered what life would be like if he were found guilty. Brand replied: “Yes… all the time, every day.”
Brand's Comments on Prison and Faith
Brand continued: “I will be with God wherever I am. And of course, I would prefer to be with God with my wife and my kids… I’m not saying that that’s not a difficult image, you know, and a difficult thing to contemplate, of course it is.”
Ahead of the trial, Brand added that he was going to “find out the truth” and deal “with the truth”. He said: “Because actually, I am not afraid of the truth and if the truth is if I am going to prison, then I am. My job will be, do not be afraid of that truth, that is what you are going to do.”
During the interview, Brand also confessed he had made a “deal with God” about going to jail. When asked by Mr Morgan how he would feel if he were sent to prison, the host began, “If you get convicted and go to prison—”, before Brand interrupted, saying: “And it’s not very nice.” The journalist responded with “no not that” and proceeded to ask: “How would you feel in that moment that God has felt like that's the right thing to happen.”
“Drink the cup man, drink the cup, that’s the deal we’ve got. That’s the deal we’ve got Piers”, replied Brand.
Sentencing and Judge's Remarks
On Monday, Justice Bennathan imposed a nine-year jail term for the rape, and added an extra year and a half for the sexual assaults. Sentencing the disgraced comedian, he said Brand harboured a “casual arrogant disregard to any woman’s right to say no to you”, while his fame meant he believed “you could act when you liked and how you liked”.
The judge told Brand: “About 20 years ago, Russell Brand, you were becoming famous, you were clever, and in many people’s eyes you were funny and charismatic. You had also become a sexual predator.”
The judge said Brand’s “status protected you” until in 2023 journalists from the Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4 Dispatches first exposed a litany of sexual misconduct, leading to women making complaints to police. One of his fans told how she was raped as a 21-year-old by Brand in 2009 at his luxury London home, while female staffers at Channel 4, MTV, and Capital Radio came forward to reveal how they had been sexually assaulted by the TV star.
