Russell Brand

Not to be confused with Russell Brands.

Russell Brand

Brand in 2011
Born Russell Edward Brand
(1975-06-04) 4 June 1975
Grays, Essex, England
Residence Shoreditch,[1] London
Nationality British
Alma mater Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
Drama Centre London
Spouse(s) Katy Perry (m. 2010; div. 2012)
Parent(s) Ronald Henry Brand
Barbara Elizabeth Nichols
Website russellbrand.com

Comedy career

Medium Stand-up, television, film, radio
Years active 1994–present
Genres Observational comedy, black comedy, blue comedy, improvisational comedy
Influences Richard Pryor, Bill Hicks,[2] Peter Cook, Lenny Bruce, Tony Hancock, Jack Kerouac, Stewart Lee,[3] Tenacious D,[4] Eddie Murphy,[5] Monty Python
Russell Brand's voice
from the BBC programme Desert Island Discs, 21 July 2013.[6]

Russell Edward Brand[7] (born 4 June 1975)[8] is an English comedian, actor, radio host, author, and activist.

Beginning his career as a stand-up comedian and later becoming an MTV presenter, Brand first achieved notoriety in 2004 as the host of Big Brother's Big Mouth, a Big Brother spin-off. In 2007, he had his first major film role in St Trinian's, and the following year he landed a major role in the romantic comedy-drama Forgetting Sarah Marshall; the film led to him starring in a spin off, the rock comedy Get Him to the Greek, alongside Jonah Hill in 2010. He also worked as a voice actor in the animated films Despicable Me in 2010, Hop in 2011, and Despicable Me 2 in 2013, and played the title character of the 2011 remake of the romantic comedy Arthur. In 2013, he released the successful stand-up special Messiah Complex.

Since guest editing an edition of British political weekly New Statesman in 2013,[9] Brand has become known as a public activist and campaigner, and has spoken on a wide range of political and cultural issues, including wealth inequality, addiction, corporate capitalism, climate change, and media bias.[10][11] This includes a much publicised interview with Newsnight host Jeremy Paxman in 2013, in which he disparaged the British political system as ineffectual, encouraged the British electorate not to vote, and endorsed an egalitarian revolution to replace the status quo.[12] In 2014, Brand launched his political-comedy web series The Trews, released a book entitled Revolution, and began work on a documentary about financial inequality with Michael Winterbottom.

Over the course of his career, Brand has been the subject of frequent media coverage and controversy for issues such as his promiscuity and drug use, his outrageous behaviour at various award ceremonies, his dismissal from MTV and resignation from the BBC, and his two-year marriage with singer Katy Perry. He has incorporated many of his controversial public antics into his comedic material. In 2015 a biographical documentary called Brand: A Second Coming was released.

Early life

Russell Edward Brand was born in Orsett Hospital in Grays, Essex, England. He is the only child of Barbara Elizabeth (née Nichols) and photographer Ronald Henry Brand.[7] Brand's parents split up when he was six months old, and he was raised by his mother. He had a difficult childhood.[13] When he was 7, a tutor sexually abused him.[14]

When Brand was 8, his mother contracted uterine cancer and then breast cancer one year later. While she underwent treatment, Brand lived with relatives. When he was 14, he suffered from bulimia nervosa. When he was 16, he left home because of disagreements with his mother's partner. Brand then started to use illegal drugs such as cannabis, amphetamines, LSD, and ecstasy.[15]

Brand says he had a "strange relationship" with his father, whom he saw sporadically and who took him to visit prostitutes during a trip to Thailand when Brand was a teenager.[13][16] He made his theatrical debut at the age of 15 in a school production of Bugsy Malone, and then began work as a film extra. Brand attended Grays School Media Arts College and in 1991, he was accepted to the Italia Conti Academy and had his first year of tuition funded by Essex County Council. After his first year at Italia Conti Academy, Brand was expelled for illegal drug use and poor attendance.[17]

Career

Stand-up

Brand performs stand-up at the London Roundhouse, 25 January 2008

Brand performed stand-up at the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year final in 2000. Although he finished fourth, his performance attracted the attention of Gagged and Bound Comedy Ltd agent Nigel Klarfeld.[18] That year, he also made his Edinburgh debut as one-third of the stand-up show Pablo Diablo's Cryptic Triptych, alongside ventriloquist Mark Felgate and Anglo-Iranian comic Shappi Khorsandi.[19] In 2004, he took his first one-man show, the confessional Better Now, to the Edinburgh Festival, giving what he claimed was an honest account of his heroin addiction. He returned the following year with Eroticised Humour. He launched his first nationwide tour, Shame, in 2006. Brand drew on embarrassing incidents in his own life and the coverage about him in the tabloid press. The show was released on DVD as Russell Brand: Live. Brand appeared in a sketch and performed stand-up at Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball in 2006[20] and again at the 2012 edition at Radio City Music Hall.[21]

In March 2007, he co-hosted an evening of the Teenage Cancer Trust gigs with Noel Fielding. In December 2007, Brand performed for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip as an act in the 2007 Royal Variety Performance. His second nationwide tour, in 2007, was called Russell Brand: Only Joking and released on DVD as Russell Brand: Doin' Life. Brand began performing in the US, and recorded a special for Comedy Central titled Russell Brand in New York, which aired in March 2009.[22] Brand began touring the UK, America and Australia from January to April 2009 on a tour called Russell Brand: Scandalous.[23] In October, a further four dates that were performed in November were added to raise money for Focus 12, the drug charity for which Brand is a patron.[24]

In 2013, Brand presented and toured his comedy show Messiah Complex, in which he tackled advertising, the laws on drug addiction and the portrayal of his heroes, such as Gandhi, Guevara, Malcolm X and Jesus, and how he is, in comically contrived ways, similar to them.[25]

Presenting

Brand's first presenting role came in 2000 as a video journalist on MTV. He presented Dancefloor Chart, touring nightclubs in Britain and Ibiza, and hosted the tea-time request show Select. Brand was fired several days after coming to work dressed as Osama bin Laden the day after the 11 September 2001 attacks and bringing his drug dealer to the MTV studios.[26] After leaving MTV, Brand starred in RE:Brand, a documentary and comedy television program that aimed to take a challenging look at cultural taboos. It was conceived, written, and hosted by Brand, with the help of his comic partner on many projects, Matt Morgan. The series was shown on the now-defunct digital satellite channel UK Play in 2002.[27]

In 2004, he hosted Big Brother's Eforum on E4, a sister show to Big Brother 5. The show gave celebrity guests and the public the chance to have their say on the goings-on inside the Big Brother house. For Big Brother 6, the show's name changed to Big Brother's Big Mouth. Following Celebrity Big Brother 5, Brand said he would not return to host the Big Brother 8 series of Big Brother's Big Mouth. In a statement, Brand thanked all the producers for "taking the risk of employing an ex-junkie twerp" to front the show. Of his time presenting the show, he said, "The three years I've spent on Big Brother's Big Mouth have been an unprecedented joy".[28] Brand hosted a one-off special called Big Brother According to Russell Brand, in which Brand took a surreal, sideways look at Big Brother through the ages. On 8 January 2008, Brand was the fifth celebrity to "hijack" the Big Brother house,[29] in the E4 show Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack.

Brand next returned to MTV in the spring of 2006 as presenter of the chat show, 1 Leicester Square, which had its broadcast time revised to allow for a more adult-oriented theme. Guests included Tom Cruise, Uma Thurman, The Mighty Boosh, and Boy George, and a second series began in September 2006 on MTV. After Big Brother 7 finished, Brand presented a debate show called Russell Brand's Got Issues, on E4. The viewing figures for the first episode were seen as disappointing, being beaten by nearly all of E4's main multi-channel rivals, despite a big publicity and promotional campaign for the show. The poor ratings prompted the network to repackage the show as The Russell Brand Show and move it to Channel 4.[30] The first episode was broadcast on 24 November on Channel 4,[31] and it ran for five weeks.[32]

Brand presented the 2006 NME Awards. At the ceremony Bob Geldof, who was accepting an award from Brand, said at the podium, "Russell Brand – what a cunt", to which Brand replied, "Really, it's no surprise [Geldof]'s such an expert on famine. He has, after all, been dining out on 'I Don't Like Mondays' for 30 years."[33] Brand hosted the 2007 BRIT Awards and presented Oasis with an "Outstanding Contribution to Music" award at the event.[34] He also hosted one hour of Comic Relief. On 7 July 2007, he presented at the UK leg of Live Earth at Wembley Stadium, London.[35]

Brand speaking with Courtney Love in Los Angeles, 2008

On 12 December 2007, BBC Four aired Russell Brand On the Road, a documentary presented by Brand and Matt Morgan about the writer Jack Kerouac and his novel On the Road. Brand returned to Channel 4 to host Russell Brand's Ponderland, in which he discussed topics like childhood and science through stand-up comedy. The show first aired on 22 October 2007 and continued for the next five nights. A second series began on 30 October 2008. The show ran for 12 episodes over the two series.[36] Brand was later announced as the host of the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), which drew skepticism from the American media, as he was relatively unknown to the American public. Brand's appearance led to controversy for numerous reasons.[37] He said the night "marked the launch of a very new Britney Spears era", referring to it as "the resurrection of [Spears]". He also said, "If there was a female Christ, it's Britney".[38] Brand implored the audience to elect Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and later called then–U.S. President George W. Bush "a retarded cowboy fella", who, in England, "wouldn't be trusted with scissors".[38][39] He also made several references to the purity rings worn by the Jonas Brothers, but apologized for the comments later in the show.[40]

His comments at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards led to Brand receiving death threats from some offended viewers.[41] Brand claimed that MTV asked him to host the 2009 awards after the ratings for the 2008 show were 20 percent higher than the previous year.[42] Also in 2008, Brand hosted a one-off stand up comedy show called Comedy Live Presents: Russell Brand and Friends, which was shown on Channel 4 on 25 January 2008. Brand returned to host the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, on 13 September 2009, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.[43][44] The ratings for the 2009 show were the best since the 2004 VMAs.[45] On 12 February 2011, Brand guest hosted an episode of the hit American sketch comedy Saturday Night Live. Brand also hosted the 2012 MTV Movie Awards.[46]

Acting

While still a teenager, Brand appeared in 1994 episodes of The Bill and the children's adventure series Mud.[47][48] In 2002, Brand appeared on the TV shows Cruise of the Gods and White Teeth. In 2005, he played Tommy in the BBC sitcom Blessed, which was written and directed by Young Ones co-writer Ben Elton. Brand auditioned for the part of Super Hans in the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show; the role eventually went to Matt King.[49] In 2007, Brand appeared in Cold Blood for ITV, playing an ex-con called Ally. Brand played a recovering crack addict named Terry in the pilot for the ITV comedy The Abbey, written by Morwenna Banks.[50] He voiced an Earth Guardian in Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind. Brand appeared in a small role in the 2006 movie Penelope; although his first major film role was as Flash Harry in the 2007 film St Trinian's.

Brand achieved American fame when he starred in the 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, in which he played rock star Aldous Snow, the boyfriend of the title character (played by Kristen Bell). Brand received rave reviews for his performance as Snow, and he revealed the character was changed from an author to a rock star because of his audition.[51] Brand starred alongside Adam Sandler in the Disney film Bedtime Stories, which was released on 25 December 2008.[52] He reprised the role of Aldous Snow for a buddy comedy titled Get Him to the Greek, co-starring Jonah Hill.[53] He reunited with Forgetting Sarah Marshall director Nicholas Stoller and producer Judd Apatow for the film.[53]

Brand starred in Julie Taymor's 2010 version of William Shakespeare's The Tempest, as Trinculo.[54][55][56] In 2010, Brand voiced Dr. Nefario in the Universal movie Despicable Me,[57] and reprised the role in the 2013 sequel. Brand also guest starred in The Simpsons episode "Angry Dad: The Movie" as himself. Brand also starred in the April 2011 live action/CGI animated film Hop with James Marsden, voicing the film's protagonist E.B. Hop opened at number one at the Friday box office in the US, earning $11.4 million.[58][59] The same month, he played the title character in a remake of Arthur,[60] written by Peter Baynham. Brand starred as Lonny in a film adaptation of the 1980s-set musical Rock Of Ages, released in cinemas in June 2012.[61]

Other projects Brand has been tied to include a remake of Drop Dead Fred, another Sandler film, in 2009;[62] a Sandler-produced film about a con-man posing as a priest tentatively entitled Bad Father, co-written by Brand and Matt Morgan, in 2010;[63] and a Warner Bros. film adaptation of the children's television programme Rentaghost in 2010, a project that was picked up by Fox Studios in 2011 with Ben Stiller attached.[64]

In November 2016, Brand will voice Creek in the Dreamworks film Trolls.

Production

As of October 2008, Brand's own production company is called Vanity Projects.[65] The company's most recent production, Russell Brand Doing Life, was released in 2009.[66] Brand also established his own production company in 2011 with friend Nik Linnen. Called 'Branded Films', the company operates from the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California, United States. The company's primary focus is to develop films that Brand stars in.[67]

Radio

Russell Brand in April 2011

Brand's radio career began in early 2002, when he hosted a Sunday afternoon show with Matt Morgan on London's Indie Rock station Xfm. Brand was fired from the job after reading pornographic material live on-air.[68] Brand co-hosted The Russell Brand Show beginning in April 2006 on BBC Radio 6 Music. In November 2006, the show transferred to BBC Radio 2 and aired on Saturdays from 9 – 11pm. The show regularly drew about 400,000 listeners.[69] In an episode of the show broadcast on 18 October 2008, Brand and fellow Radio 2 DJ Jonathan Ross made a series of phone calls to actor Andrew Sachs in which Brand alleged on air that he had had sex with Sachs' granddaughter. Sunday tabloid The Mail on Sunday broke the story and regarded the phone calls as obscene. Both presenters were later suspended by the BBC because of the incident,[70] and Brand resigned from his show.[71][72] The BBC was later fined £150,000 by Britain's broadcast regulator for airing the calls.[73]

Brand returned to radio when he and Noel Gallagher hosted a football talk show on 19 April 2009 for Talksport which led to a 250 percent boost in web traffic.[74][75] Brand returned to Talksport on 9 October 2010, with a Saturday night show that lasted 20 weeks. The show featured clips and back-stage recordings from his Booky Wook 2 promotional tour. Brand was joined by a host of guests, including Noel Gallagher and Jonathan Ross.[76]

Podcast

Brand launched a twice weekly podcast called The Russell Brand Podcast on February 25, 2015, through audioBoom. The podcast reunited Brand with his radio presenting team of Matt Morgan and poet Mr Gee.[77]

Writing

Brand's first autobiography, My Booky Wook, was released on 15 November 2007 and received favorable reviews. Andrew Anthony from The Observer commented that "Russell Brand's gleeful tale of drugs and debauchery in My Booky Wook puts most other celebrity memoirs to shame".[78] The second book, Booky Wook 2: This Time It's Personal, was released on 30 September 2010. Brand signed a £1.8 million two-book deal with HarperCollins in June 2008.[79][80] The first book, Articles of Faith, examined Brand's philosophy and consisted of a collection of columns from The Guardian which first appeared there in 2007 and 2008. The book was published on 16 October 2008, and also includes Brand interviewing Noel Gallagher, James Corden, and David Baddiel about football.[81]

From 2006 until 2009, Brand wrote a column for The Guardian that focused on West Ham United and the England national football team. A collection of the columns from 2006 and 2007 was released in a book entitled Irons in the Fire.[82] Brand continues to write articles for The Guardian that offer his perspectives on current events and pop culture, including the deaths of Amy Winehouse and Robin Williams. Following the 2011 London riots, Brand wrote a column in which he criticized the government's response to the riots in Summer 2011 as a failure to address the root causes.[83]

Brand made his children's book debut in November 2014 with Russell Brand's Trickster Tales: The Pied Piper of Hamelin. It is the first installment of an intended series, featuring illustrations by Chris Riddell.[84] In The Guardian, reviewer Lucy Mangan noted: “The on-Brand need to be noticed is there on every page, his unwillingness to get out of the way of the story tripping the reader up at every turn” and adding that Chris Riddell’s illustrations “give the book a beauty it does not deserve and a coherence the text does not deliver”.[85] Nicholas Tucker, in The Independent, was even less impressed, noting the book's "wearingly offensive" language, and writing:

Were it not for his celebrity, this book in manuscript would surely have been returned to its author by any publisher along perhaps with some kindly advice for seeking out an anger-management course. But Brand’s take on The Pied Piper of Hamelin is the first of a series of riffs on traditional fairy and folk tales. If they are all as bad as this one, British children’s books will have hit a new low.[86]

His book Revolution, in which Brand develops his earlier ideas, was published by Random House in October 2014 and received much publicity. Nick Cohen of The Observer called Brand's writing "atrocious: long-winded, confused and smug; filled with references to books Brand has half read and thinkers he has half understood."[87] On the other hand, Steve Richards in The Independent commented: "Brand writes and speaks with verve, words flowing effortlessly and musically. The contrast with the tame wooden prose of elected politicians is marked."[88]

Political activism

2009–2012: Early interventions

In January 2009, Brand participated in a celebrity letter to The Independent—as a supporter of the Hoping Foundation—to condemn Israel's assault on Gaza, and the "cruel and massive loss of life of the citizens of Gaza".[89] In February 2009, Brand and several other entertainers wrote to The Times in defense of Bahá'í leaders, who were on trial in Iran at the time.[90] In April 2009, he attended the 2009 G-20 London summit protests and spoke to the press.[91]

Brand was selected by the Dalai Lama to host the Buddhist leader's 2012 youth event in Manchester. The Dalai Lama's representatives explained that Brand was selected because he had proved "the power of spirituality to effect change in his own life", while Brand stated to the BBC after the event: "I said yes because he's the living incarnation of Buddha and I thought, if you're around the Dalai Lama, that can only be good for your spiritual quest through life. He's an amazing diplomat, an incredible activist, a wonderful human being and an inspiration to us all."[92]

Brand interviewed at the anti-austerity rally in London, June 2014

In April 2012, Brand testified in front of a parliamentary committee about drug addiction, sharing his experiences and view that drugs should be decriminalised. He said, "I'm not a legal expert. I'm saying that, to a drug addict, the legal aspect is irrelevant. If you need to get drugs, you will. The criminal and legal status, I think, sends the wrong message. Being arrested isn't a lesson, it's just an administrative blip."[93] Part of this testimony was included in a BBC Three documentary, Russell Brand: From Addiction to Recovery, that aired in December 2012. Brand said he felt compelled to make the film after the 2011 death of close friend Amy Winehouse, and he used the opportunity to also question how British society "deals with addicts and addiction."[94]

In June 2013, Brand appeared in a video in support of Chelsea Manning.[95]

2013–2014: New Statesman, Newsnight

Since 2013, Brand has appeared more frequently as a campaigner for serious issues rather than an entertainer.[96][97] On 23 October 2013, Brand was interviewed by Jeremy Paxman for the BBC's Newsnight and was challenged about his call for "revolution" and whether someone who had never voted could edit a political magazine.[98] In the issue of the New Statesman, published on 24 October 2013, Brand's essay explained his objection to the destruction of earth through greed and exploitation, and called for a change in consciousness to accompany political and economic measures to achieve a more sustainable future.[99] Nick Cohen in The Guardian commented about Brand: "He writes as if he is a precocious prepubescent rather than an adolescent: a child, born after the millennium, who can behave as if we never lived through the 20th century."[100]

British commentator Joan Smith dismissed Brand as the "canny self-publicist" who indulges in "waffle about 'revolution'" as "one celebrity, I'm afraid, who's more idiot than savant."[101] Former Independent editor Simon Kelner largely defended his appearance on Newsnight: "It sounded rather attractive, even if it wasn't exactly worked through. But Brand's rhetorical flourishes made up for the lack of detail".[102] A few months later, documentary film maker Adam Curtis, in an interview for the New Humanist magazine, questioned Brand's advocacy of not voting in elections: "Who benefits from that? The unelected powerful, because you’re emotionally and psychologically disempowering politicians. The only power politicians have is the collective confidence we have in them. The most radical thing is to recapture the idea you can change the world."[103]

2014–present: The Trews, Revolution, 2015 Election

In January 2014, Brand was invited by the Cambridge Union Society to participate in an interview, held in the Union's debating chamber with Leo Kirby, the Union's 2014 Speakers' Officer. The interview ran for more than an hour and was published on the Union's YouTube channel.[104]

Brand launched his YouTube series The Trews: True News with Russell Brand on 27 February 2014, in which he "analyses the news, truthfully, spontaneously and with great risk to his personal freedom." In addition to news analysis, he regularly has guests on the show, including economists, journalists and activists. By the end of the year, more than 200 episodes had been released on the channel.[105]

In June 2014, he took part in the People's Assembly Against Austerity, that attracted an estimated 50,000 people marching from the BBC office to Westminster. Brand addressed the crowd, saying, "The people of this building [the House of Commons] generally speaking do not represent us, they represent their friends in big business. It's time for us to take back our power. Power isn't there, it is here, within us. The revolution that's required isn't a revolution of radical ideas, but the implementation of ideas we already have."[106]

In September 2014, Brand lent his support to the Fire Brigades Union, giving a speech at the union's rally against cuts in London and asking the public to support the firefighters.[107]

In October 2014, at the time Brand's book Revolution was published, John Lydon (also known as "Johnny Rotten" of the Sex Pistols), in an interview with Polly Toynbee of The Guardian, said that Brand's advocacy of non-voting is "the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard."[108] In a November 2014 YouGov poll, involving a selection of celebrities, Brand was chosen as the one with the most negative influence on political debate (46%). The poll also found that 60% of poll participants disliked him and 28% liked him.[109]

Shortly afterward, Brand appeared on Newsnight again, but was interviewed by Evan Davis on this occasion. Asked about 9/11 conspiracy theories and whether the attacks were perpetuated by the American government, Brand commented: "[w]e have to remain open-minded to [that] kind of possibility",[110][111] although this section of the interview ended with Brand insisting that he did not "want to talk about daft conspiracy theories."[112][113] Hadley Freeman in The Guardian mocked the opinions he expressed in the interview: "I’m not entirely sure where he thinks he’s going to go with this revolution idea because [SPOILER!] revolution is not going to happen."[114]

Brand at the People's Assembly Against Austerity rally in June 2014

BBC Three commissioned Brand to make a documentary on the global "War on Drugs", which aired on 26 November 2014. The film, titled Russell Brand: End the Drugs War, shows him exploring the illicit drug policies of other countries in search of a compassionate approach to people who use illicit drugs. Brand explains in the documentary, "People think compassion is 'wet liberalism'; it's not, it's pragmatic".[115] Brand worked with the Matchlight Ltd production company, director Ross Wilson and executive producer Liz Hartford.[116]

On 2 December 2014, Brand joined East London residents to protest over the increase in rents at the New Era housing estate.[117] During a protest for the New Era residents, Channel 4 News reporter Paraic O'Brien continually pushed Brand to answer questions about the value of his own property, which is rented. The line of questioning irritated Brand, who ended up calling the reporter a "snide"—the short clip went viral on YouTube.[118][119][120]

Later that month, on 11 December, Brand appeared on the BBC's Question Time programme which included the UK Independence Party's leader Nigel Farage as one of the other panellists. Brand called Farage "a pound shop Enoch Powell" on-air,[121] and the two men continued to trade insults after the programme had ended.[122] In the wake of the Question Time episode, one journalist concluded that neither Brand nor Farage emerged victorious, with the former accused of "preaching",[123] while a supporter of Brand wrote that the comedian was out of his element: "I'm not saying he didn't make an impact. I agree with most of what he has to say, and I'm glad he was on Question Time—in the heart of the establishment—saying it. But in terms of his performance or identity, he looks caught between two stools."[124]

Brand at Zuccotti Park in 2014.

In January 2015, during the television show Channel 4's Big Fat Anniversary Quiz, Brand insulted politician Ed Balls, calling him a "clicky-wristed snidey cunt".[125] Balls responded by calling Brand a "pound shop Ben Elton."[126][127]

In March 2015, Brand announced he would use money from his Revolution book to open a café, the Trew Era Cafe on the New Era estate in the London Borough of Hackney, which would employ recovering drug addicts.[128] The café opened on March 26.[129]

In March 2015, readers of Prospect magazine voted Brand the fourth-most influential thinker in the world, behind Thomas Piketty, Yanis Varoufakis, and Naomi Klein.[130]

Brand and director Michael Winterbottom worked together to produce a documentary, The Emperor's New Clothes, that had its international premiere on 24 April 2015 at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film features archival footage with appearances by Brand in London and New York City, examining the financial crisis of 2007-2008 and global economic inequality. The documentary is produced by Brand's Revolution Films company and distributed by StudioCanal UK.[131][132]

On 29 April 2015, eight days ahead of the following month's general election, Brand published an interview with Labour leader Ed Miliband on an episode of The Trews as part of a Trews Politics Week series.[133] Miliband claimed that he took part in order to win over people like Brand who do not vote, although his opponent David Cameron deemed the entire interview a "joke".[134] The following day Brand released an interview with Green Party leader Natalie Bennett and Green MP Caroline Lucas, giving his support to Lucas in Brighton advising people there to vote Green[135] adding that "In most cases it don’t matter if you don’t vote Green".[135] He also criticized an election "set up not to represent people's wishes".[136]

Following these interviews, three days before the election, Brand released the final episode of The Trews Politics Week entitled "Emergency: VOTE To Start Revolution"[133] releasing additional material from his discussion with Ed Miliband and stating "I think we've got no choice but to take decisive action to end the danger of the Conservative party".[137] He dropped his anti-voting position and "declared the importance of voting", backing Labour and telling his fans that "You gotta vote Labour", although he admitted "that he couldn't be sure of the reality of what a Labour government would mean".[138][139] He has also stated that Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg is "a nice chap".[140]

This U-turn triggered a backlash from his fans as he had "decided to endorse Labour in the eleventh hour – after registration had closed." [141] and many blamed the low youth turn out in the election on Brand, claiming that it contributed to the Conservative win.[141] Brand was not registered to vote in the 2015 election.[138]

On 20 August 2015, Brand released episode 366 of The Trews titled "Final Episode Of The Trews - Goodbye, Good Luck", which he said would be the final episode of the series.[142]

Controversies

On 16 September 2010, Brand was arrested on suspected battery charges after he allegedly attacked a paparazzo who blocked his and then-fiancée Katy Perry's way to catch a flight at Los Angeles International Airport.[143] The paparazzo placed Brand under citizen's arrest until the police arrived and he was released from custody the next day after posting US$20,000 bail.[144] On 15 March 2012, an arrest warrant was issued for Brand in New Orleans, U.S., because of allegations that he had thrown a photographer's mobile phone through a window. The paparazzo was taking pictures of Brand with an iPhone when Brand wrestled the device from his hands and tossed it at a law firm's window. The warrant cited "simple criminal damage to property", leading Brand, who offered to pay for the replacement of the window, to voluntarily appear at a police station. Brand was filming a movie in New Orleans at the time of the incident.[145]

Brand was ejected from the GQ Awards show on 3 September 2013 after receiving the "Oracle" award. In his acceptance speech, he mentioned sponsor Hugo Boss' former business making uniforms for the Nazi regime. Brand said, "They [Nazis] did look fucking fantastic, let's face it" before he goose stepped across the stage in a comical imitation of the Nazi march. Brand was eventually ejected from the event after GQ editor Dylan Jones confronted Brand with his view that the speech was "very offensive"—Brand replied by saying that the Nazis' treatment of the Jewish people was "very offensive".[146][147][148] Brand was later given the opportunity to reflect on the award night on the Guardian website:

Now I'm aware that this [GQ award speech] was really no big deal ... It was a daft joke by a daft comic at a daft event. It makes me wonder, though, how the relationships and power dynamics I witnessed on this relatively inconsequential context are replicated on a more significant scale ... Ought we be concerned that our rights to protest are being continually eroded under the guise of enhancing our safety? ... When you take a breath and look away from the spectacle it's amazing how absurd it seems when you look back.[148]

In June 2015, the Daily Mail revealed that Brand was selling sweatshirts stated to be British-made, while they were in fact made in Bangladesh by workers earning under US$1 per hour. He said that he was unaware of this, and had terminated his relationship with the manufacturer as a result.[149]

Personal life

Brand has been said to dress in a "flamboyant bohemian fashion"[150] and has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder.[151][152] He also suffered from bulimia[153] and experienced a period of self-harming.[154] Brand has described the concept of fame "like ashes" in his mouth.[104]

Brand has shown interest in the Hare Krishna Movement and wrote in a 2007 Guardian column: "I say Hare Krishna as often as possible, sometimes even when I'm not being filmed".[155] Additionally, during an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in October 2010, Brand talked about his love of Transcendental Meditation (TM).[156] This love of TM was reaffirmed in a 2013 New Statesman editorial he wrote: "Through Transcendental Meditation, twice daily I feel the bliss of the divine..... I connect to a boundless consciousness that has no palpable relationship with my thoughts, fears or desires."[157]

He is an ardent supporter of West Ham United, and "hijacked" a BBC Sport live interview with the team's manager Sam Allardyce after the team defeated Manchester City at the Boleyn Ground on 25 October 2014, jumping in and kissing Allardyce on the cheek.[158]

Brand lives in Shoreditch, London[1] after previously residing in a $2.2 million mansion in Los Angeles.[159]

Relationships

Brand met singer Katy Perry in mid-2009 when she filmed a cameo for his film Get Him to the Greek, although the cameo was cut from the film.[160] They began dating after meeting again at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards in September, when Perry threw a water bottle at his head from across the room during rehearsal.[161] The two became engaged on New Year's Eve 2009 during a holiday in India,[162] and married there on 23 October 2010 in a Hindu ceremony, near the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan.[163]

On 30 December 2011, Brand filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences,[164] which was finalized in July 2012.[165] Perry's July 2012 autobiographical documentary, Katy Perry: Part of Me, revealed that conflicting career schedules and Perry not feeling ready to have children led to the end of their marriage.[166] In June, Perry told Vogue that Brand did not like the idea of her "being the boss" of things, and the last time she heard from him was 31 December 2011, when he sent her an SMS message informing her he was divorcing her.[167]

Days after his divorce was finalized, Brand told Howard Stern that he was extremely in love with Perry, but after marrying her realized “this isn't really working out … I was really, really in love with her, but it was difficult to see each other … it mostly didn't work for practical reasons."[168] While Stern pressed for details, Brand declined, saying, "I don't want anything to hurt her. She’s younger than me, she’s a young woman and she’s beautiful and she’s sensitive and I care about her deeply."[168] Brand, who married Perry without a prenuptial agreement, was eligible to claim half of the estimated $44 million she earned during their marriage, but declined.[169]

From 2013 to 2014, Brand was in a relationship with Jemima Khan, an editor of the New Statesman, and a daughter of financier Sir James Goldsmith.[170] In an interview with Jonathan Ross in late January 2014, Brand explained that he was "very, very happy" in a relationship that felt unlike anything he had previously experienced.[171] In May 2014, Brand received libel damages from The Sun following a story the paper had printed in November 2013 alleging that he had cheated on Khan. Brand said he would be donating the unspecified damages to the Hillsborough Justice Campaign.[172] Brand and Khan ended their relationship in September 2014.[173][174]

In the October 2014 issue of Vanity Fair, Brand said of the allegations of misogyny made against him: "I have lived a life and had a frame of cultural references that make that charge quite legitimate... But as a person who’s trying to live a decent, spiritual life, misogyny is not part of my current palette of behaviors… In a way, redemption is a great part of my narrative. I’m talking about disavowing previous lives, previous beliefs, previous behaviours."[175]

Substance use

Brand in March 2008

The media published articles on Brand during his drug-using period, typically in relation to incidents, and his public profile has since been associated with this era. Drug-related issues led to Brand's arrest on 12 occasions.[176] Brand was ejected from the Gilded Balloon in Edinburgh, Scotland and following a subsequent show in the city in 2004, a reviewer stated that "you'd rather hug him than hit him", as he had embraced recovery by this point. Following the cessation of his use, Brand revealed through his stand-up performances that he introduced his drug dealer to Kylie Minogue during his time at MTV[177] and masturbated a stranger in a public toilet for a television programme.[178] In January 2014, Brand described his first experience with heroin as "blissful".[104]

Brand has abstained from drug use since 2002; on 13 December 2014, Brand tweeted that he was celebrating his 12th year of sobriety.[179] He is a patron of the Focus 12 drug treatment programme after his own use of the service. Brand's sobriety was instigated by his agent, John Noel, after Brand was apprehended using heroin in a bathroom during a Christmas party. Brand cites his practice of transcendental meditation as a significant factor in his recovery from drug dependence.[180] Brand organised three fundraisers for Focus 12 in London, Dublin and Belfast in 2009, and has also acted as a "sponsor" for numerous people during the rehabilitation stage of their treatment process.[181]

Filmography

Film

Title Year Role Notes
St Trinian's 2007 Flash Harry
Penelope 2008 Sam
Forgetting Sarah Marshall 2008 Aldous Snow
Bedtime Stories 2008 Mickey
Get Him to the Greek 2010 Aldous Snow
Despicable Me 2010 Dr. Nefario Voice
The Tempest 2010 Trinculo
Hop 2011 E.B./"Hoff Knows Talent" Production Assistant Voice/Live-action
Arthur 2011 Arthur Bach
Rock of Ages 2012 Lonny Barnett
Katy Perry: Part of Me 2012 Himself Cameo
Uncredited
Despicable Me 2 2013 Dr. Nefario Voice
Paradise 2013 William
A Royal Hangover 2014 Himself
The Emperor's New Clothes 2015 Himself
Army of One 2016 God[182][183]
Trolls 2016 Creek Voice

Television

Show Year Role Episode Notes
The Bill 1994 Billy Case Land of The Blind
Mud 1994 Shane Series 1 Episodes 1-6
White Teeth 2002 Merlin The Peculiar Second Marriage of Archie Jones
RE:Brand 2002 Host
Cruise of the Gods 2002 Glynn (Woolly Hat Fan)
A Bear's Christmas Tail 2004 Mr Wolf
Blessed 2005 Tommy
A Bear's Tail 2005 Tony the Ringmaster
Russell Brand's Got Issues 2006 Host
The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2006, 2007, 2009, 2015 ("Anniversary Edition") Himself
The Abbey 2007 Terry
Cold Blood 2007 Ally Parkins
Russell Brand's Ponderland 2007–08, 2009 Host
2008 MTV Video Music Awards 2008 Host TV special
2009 MTV Video Music Awards 2009 Host TV special
Big Time Rush 2011 Himself Big Time Beach Party
Saturday Night Live 2011 Himself Season 36, Russell Brand & Chris Brown
2012 MTV Movie Awards 2012 Host TV special
Brand X with Russell Brand 2012–13 Himself Host
Russell Brand: From Addiction to Recovery 2012 Himself BBC Three Documentary
Russell Brand: End the Drugs War 2014 Himself BBC Three Documentary Presenter

Awards

Awards
Award Award category Year Result
Time Out Best Stand-Up 2006 Won[184]
Loaded Laftas Best Stand-Up 2006 Won[185]
British Comedy Awards Best Newcomer 2006 Won[186]
33rd Annual Television and Radio Awards Best Television Performer in a Non-Acting Role 2007 Won[187]
British Comedy Awards Best Live Stand-Up 2008 Won[188]
Variety’s Power of Comedy Award 2010 Won[189]
British Comedy Awards Outstanding Contribution to Comedy 2011 Won[190]
GQ Men of the Year Awards Oracle 2013 Won[148]

Stand-up DVDs

References

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  135. 1 2 Stone, Jon (30 April 2015). "Russell Brand drops his anti-voting stance and says people should vote for Caroline Lucas of the Green Party". Independent. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
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  141. 1 2 Strang, Fay (8 May 2015). "Russell Brand blamed for shattering Labour election loss: Comedian 'no vote' u-turn scorned by young voters". Mirror. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
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  157. ↑ "Why Richard Dawkins is the best argument for the existence of God". New Statesman. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
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  161. ↑ Ziegbe, Mawuse (4 September 2010). "Katy Perry, Russell Brand's Love Story Began At The VMAs – Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  162. ↑ "Katy Perry And Russell Brand: A Timeline Of Their Love". MTV. 6 January 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
  163. ↑ Prithwish Ganguly (26 October 2010). "Katy affirms Brand loyalty". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  164. ↑ Hughes, Sarah Anne (31 December 2011). "Russell Brand and Katy Perry are getting a divorce". The Washington Post. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  165. ↑ Koonse, Emma (16 July 2012). "Katy Perry and Russell Brand Divorce Finalized: I'm 'Happy Again,' Says Perry". The Christian Post. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  166. ↑ Cutforth, Dan; Lipsitz, Jane (directors);Perry, Katy (autobiographer) (5 July 2012). Katy Perry: Part of Me (Motion picture). United States; filmed in studios:Insurge Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, Perry Productions et la.: Paramount Pictures.
  167. ↑ Woods, Vicki (June 2013). "Katy Perry's First Vogue Cover". Vogue.
  168. 1 2 Gil Kaufman (18 July 2012). "Russell Brand Opens Up About Katy Perry Divorce". MTV. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  169. ↑ "Russell Brand says no to Katy Perry's $44 million fortune in 'amicable' divorce". News.com.au. 9 February 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  170. ↑ Rhiannon Williams (16 September 2013). "Russell Brand IS dating Jemima Khan". Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  171. ↑ McKnight, Jenni (28 January 2015). "Russell Brand 'ready to propose' to Jemima Khan: 'I really love her'". Metro News. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  172. ↑ "Russell Brand accepts damages from Sun on Sunday". BBC News. 8 May 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  173. ↑ "It's over: Russell Brand and Jemima Khan split", The Independent (Eire), 21 September 2014
  174. ↑ Eizabeth Beynon "No Khan do: Jemima and Russell Brand ‘split after a year’", The Sunday Times, 21 September 2014
  175. ↑ David Kamp (29 October 2014). "Russell Brand, Seriously". Vanity Fair.
  176. ↑ Ellen, Barbara (18 June 2006). "Interview with Russell Brand". London: The Observer. Retrieved 18 June 2006.
  177. ↑ Brand, Russell. "Russell Brand on Heroin". Time Out Sydney.
  178. ↑ Wilstein, Matt (11 June 2013). "Russell Brand Did What In A Public Bathroom When He Was A Crack And Heroin Addict?". Mediaite. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  179. ↑ Russell Brand (13 December 2014). "Today I am 12 years clean from drugs&alcohol". Twitter. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  180. ↑ Aleksander, Irina (20 March 2011). "Look Who's Meditating Now". The New York Times.
  181. ↑ "Russell Brand". Focus 12. Focus 12. 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  182. ↑ "Nicolas Cage Shooting a Movie in Morocco". Morocco World News (28 March 2015). Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  183. ↑ Brand appearance on Alan Carr: Chatty Man, 10 April 2015, Season 14 Episode 4
  184. ↑ 20th Time Out Live Awards Winners – Comedy by Time Out Archived 21 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
  185. ↑ "Loaded Laftas". Loaded.co.uk. 27 May 2010. Archived from the original on 3 June 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  186. ↑ "Past Winners 2006". www.britishcomedyawards.com. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  187. ↑ "Broadcasting Press Guild". Broadcasting Press Guild. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  188. ↑ "Brand wins British Comedy Award". BBC News. 7 December 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  189. ↑ "Russell Brand to be honored at Variety's Power of Comedy". latimes.com. 10 November 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  190. ↑ "British Comedy Awards: Russell Brand pulls out last minute to visit friend in hospital". Ok.co.uk. 23 January 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2012.

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Interviews

Media offices
Preceded by
no host		 MTV Video Music Awards host
2008
2009 		Succeeded by
Chelsea Handler
Preceded by
Jason Sudeikis		 MTV Movie Awards host
2012 		Succeeded by
Rebel Wilson
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