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Russell Brand spent an excruciating near two minutes on live television searching for a Bible passage he had drawn comfort from in court – before ultimately giving up and quoting one that was ‘good enough’.
The former comedian continued his book press tour ahead of his trial for serious criminal offences in June, which number three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault – all of which he denies.
Having appeared on Megyn Kelly’s podcast earlier this week, where he admitted to an ‘exploitative’ past sexual relationship with a 16-year-old when he was 30, the 50-year-old appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored on Friday night.
The born-again Christian, who said he would face prison ‘with God’ if found guilty of the serious sexual charges against him, brought the same Bible with him to the TV studio as he had to his Southwark Crown Court appearance in February.
He has just released a new book, How to Become a Christian in 7 Days.
When broadcaster Morgan brought the conversation back to his text, asking if he could enquire about Brand’s Bible, the actor and presenter responded, appearing slightly reluctant: ‘Yes, if you want to.’
‘What was your thinking in taking it into court – and you were seen looking at some passages, what were the relevant passages for you?’ Morgan asked.
‘Thank you for asking me,’ Brand responded before starting to leaf through the pages as Morgan quipped: ‘Thank you, that didn’t hurt, did it?’
‘A little bit,’ Brand, who was wearing a large wooden crucifix, replied before appearing to find what he was looking for and adding: ‘It was this, from Isaiah.’
But then realising it wasn’t the verse he wanted, he carried on searching, later saying, ‘It’s this,’ before hesitating once again and continuing to hunt for what he wanted.
Twelve seconds later he began, ‘This is from Isiah’ – but it still wasn’t what he was looking for.
The search continued, with Brand rifling through the pages in silence other than to offer a brief ‘excuse me’ and then mutter: ‘Man, I didn’t mark it before.’
After another silent gap, he tried again, beginning: ‘It says here –’ before hesitating, pausing and continuing to search.
Morgan chose not to fill any of the silences, instead glancing directly into the camera at this point.
For his final attempt, Brand said: ‘The verse that I was looking at that day was… not this.’
Admitting defeat, he continued: ‘I can’t actually find the verse that I had that day. But this is good enough, this if from Isaiah 12.’
People who had watched the interview couldn’t resist pointing to the moment, acknowledging that it felt like satire and ‘something you’d watch from an episode of The Office’.
Forrest Miller said he felt ‘baffled’ by the exchange, asking: ‘Did he just assume nobody would ever ask his favourite verse or why he’s carrying it around?’
When asked how he was feeling as he entered court in February to plead not guilty to the two most recent sexual offence charges against him, Brand replied to Sky News: ‘Blessed,’ and was seen carrying a blue book labelled Holy Bible, with Post-it notes inside – the same ones which appeared to remain in place for his appearance on Uncensored.
A trial is scheduled to begin at Southwark Crown Court on June 16, 2026.
The investigation into Brand began in September 2023 after multiple allegations were reported.
A joint investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times later detailed a series of alleged offences said to have taken place between the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Brand has consistently denied all allegations of non-consensual activity. In previous statements, he said: ‘When I was young and single, before I had my wife and family… I was a fool, man. I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, a sex addict, and an imbecile.
‘But I was never a rapist… I have never engaged in non-consensual activity.’
According to court proceedings, one allegation involves a claim that Brand raped a woman in a hotel room while she attended a Labour Party conference in Bournemouth.
Other allegations include claims he assaulted women in workplace settings, including a TV studio and a radio station.
Detective Chief Inspector Tariq Farooqi, who is leading the investigation for the Metropolitan Police, previously said that women who have come forward are being supported by specially trained officers.
‘The Met’s investigation remains ongoing,’ he said in a statement, urging anyone affected by the case or with information to come forward.
Watch the full interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored on YouTube.
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