Piers Morgan accuses Russell Brand of being ‘inappropriately tactile’ during interview

Piers Morgan has called out Russell Brand for his ‘inappropriately tactile’ behaviour while on Uncensored last week.

Brand’s antics on the show quickly went viral as the 50-year-old scrambled to find a Bible passage for almost two minutes to no avail.

The former comedian was there for his book press tour ahead of his trial for serious criminal offences in June, which includes three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault –all of which he denies.

Now, Morgan, 61, has revealed that Brand was ‘inappropriately tactile’ with him while filming the live show.

A viewer asked the presenter how he had found ‘all the touching’, calling it ‘extremely condescending’.

Morgan replied: ‘It was a bit weird, yes. Never had a guest be so inappropriately tactile during an interview, which surprised me given the allegations against him.’

Throughout the chat, Brand had leaned over and touched the host’s arm and shoulder.

Brand has now pleaded not guilty to seven charges in total: Three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault.

Detectives began investigating in September 2023 after several allegations from alleged victims.

Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times then alleged several offences taking place between the late 90s and early noughties.

Brand has maintained his innocence when it comes to previous charges, and claimed that any encounters were ‘consensual’, while declaring he was ‘never was a rapist’.

He recently also revealed on Megyn Kelly’s podcast that he had an ‘exploitative’ past sexual relationship with a 16-year-old when he was 30.

‘In Europe and in the United Kingdom, where I’m from, the age of consent is 16, and I did sleep with a 16-year-old when I was 30,’ Brand said.

‘When I was 30, I was a very different person. I was a lot younger, and I was an immature 30-year-old.

‘Consensual sex actually with a variety of people when there is a strong power differential, as the ability to attract women I had at that time, I think involves exploitation. I think it is exploitative.’

The Get Him To The Greek actor has recently re-branded as a Christian influencer, as detailed in his new book, How to Become a Christian in 7 Days.

When entering Southwark Crown Court in February, he carried a Bible with him, which had pages marked with tabs which he seemingly deemed relevant or noteworthy.

He brought the same Bible with him to the TV studio, prompting Morgan to ask about ‘ relevant passages’ Brand had been reading in court.

‘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,’ the former actor, who was wearing a large wooden crucifix, replied before appearing to find what he was looking for and adding: ‘It was this, from Isaiah.’

However, it turned out that wasn’t the passage he wanted, leafing through the book some more, repeating that it was ‘from Isiah’.

Morgan sat silently with only the occasional look into the camera to indicate his feelings, letting Brand’s frantic search continue on.

Memes erupted from the awkward moment, with Brand himself posting a video claiming to have ‘found that verse’ days later.

Metro has reached out to Morgan’s team for comments.

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