Russell Brand, 51, was jailed for 10 and a half years for raping and sexually assaulting four women. On the day of his sentencing, a resurfaced wedding anniversary video for his wife Laura Gallacher drew a wave of criticism from fans, who branded it 'creepy' and 'terrifying'.
Conviction and background
Brand was convicted of raping a fan in 2009 and sexually assaulting three female TV and radio workers in 2004, 2005, and 2009. The attacks took place at the height of his fame, shortly before his 14-month marriage to US popstar Katy Perry.
Following their divorce, Brand married Laura Gallacher in 2017. The couple first met in 2007, when Laura was a 19-year-old art student and Brand was a 30-year-old comedian on the rise. They were introduced by Laura's sister, TV sports presenter Kirsty Gallacher, and the Gallacher family is also known through their father, former Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher.
The anniversary video
For their first wedding anniversary, Brand shared a video on X in which he sang a song described as a sinister gift for his bride. The track, titled 'Inside of You', was performed by Brand's character Aldous Snow in the film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which was written by Jason Segel.
In the video, Brand sang: "Old as ancient skies, I've had these wandering eyes, but you took me by surprise, when you let me inside of you. Inside of you, inside of you, I long to be; is it wrong to be inside of you? Inside of you, inside of you." He added: "Happy anniversary, Laura. Thanks, Jason, for that song."
The overtly sexually suggestive song was written as a parody of over-the-top, pseudo-profound rock ballads.
Fan reactions
The post, uploaded on August 26, 2018, quickly attracted a wave of comments from unsettled fans. One wrote: "It's all about sex with him, very creepy. She is certainly feeding him well when he isn't inside her; fat and scruffy, no other woman will want him now." Another added: "You are such an a–." A third simply replied: "Creepy," while a fourth said: "Just a wee bit terrifying no matter which way you look at it." Someone else penned: "Clearly missing something here. Creepy!"
Russell and Laura have had an on-off relationship spanning nearly two decades. Following Brand's sentencing, Laura has remained one of his most prominent public defenders.
