Jo Brand has revealed she is considering end-of-life planning, including the possibility of assisted dying, following the deaths of her parents and two brothers. The comedian, who turns 70 next year, discussed her views on mortality in a new interview with The Guardian.
Mother's Death and Assisted Dying Views
Brand's mother, Joyce, died in February 2021 at the age of 86 after contracting Covid-19 and experiencing other health complications. Reports indicated Joyce had obtained drugs to end her own life in her final weeks, though she did not use them.
In the interview, Brand said: "Now's the time, if you want things, to get them in place. I think a lot of people say, 'I really want to do that, but I'll forget it for now.' And then they get to a stage where they can't."
When asked if she meant a bucket list, she clarified: "I mean the ability to perhaps end your own... I know it's not legal yet, but I think it will be, sooner rather than later."
Assisted Dying Bill Rejected
In September, MPs rejected the assisted dying bill after a vote in the Commons. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill failed to pass, with 286 votes against and 270 in favour. The bill would have allowed terminally ill people in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live to seek an assisted death, subject to approval by doctors and legal professionals.
Brand highlighted the importance of the campaign, which has gained attention following the death of presenter Esther Rantzen, a prominent advocate for reform of the legislation.
Family Losses and Grief
Brand also lost her father and brothers Matt and Bill, who died in 2016 and 2021 respectively after cancer diagnoses. She has supported organisations like Dignity In Dying, which campaigns for legal reform around end-of-life choices.
Reflecting on her grief, she wrote in her new book Decline and Falling Over: "So yes, I'm not terribly good at grief, because I'm not terribly good at acceptance, either – I don't think I've done that yet at all."
Speaking about her father's dementia in 2025, Brand said he "began to deteriorate very gradually," noting that neighbours noticed changes. "He would leave his front door open all night, he would hit cars in the car park when he was trying to drive, that sort of thing," she explained, adding that he was moved into a care home "which he loved."
Concerns About Care Homes
Brand also expressed concern about living in a care home, recalling witnessing male staff's "appalling" behaviour towards adults with learning disabilities while working in a residential home in her youth. She was fired after making complaints, which she says were not investigated.
"That was in the 70s. Are they that different now? Who knows?" she said. "I can't imagine I can persuade any of my family to get interested in looking after me."
