Russell Brand’s world came crashing down today as he was charged with multiple sex offences – including two rapes.
The 50-year-old is believed to be in Florida having cut most of his ties with the UK over the past 18 months ago and moved there with his wife Laura and their three children.
Just two days ago he was on stage in Charleston, South Carolina, supporting Christian rockstar Brandon Lake by leading prayers at one of his sold out gigs.
Today the Metropolitan Police would not confirm if the former stand-up comedian and Hollywood star is in Britain as they summoned him to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, May 2.
The 50-year-old, who vehemently denies any wrongdoing, is accused of two rapes and three sexual assaults against four women over seven years between 1999 and 2005. The alleged attacks took place in London and the south coast resort of Bournemouth.
The comedian and actor has not commented on the development in his case but previously insisted that while he was ‘very, very promiscuous’ as a younger man, his sexual relationships ‘were always consensual’.
Just over 20 years ago he was one of the most famous comedians in the UK. In 2010 he married Katy Perry, arguably the world’s biggest pop star at the time – but they divorced two years later after he broke up with his wife by text.
Brand has also enjoyed highly-paid Hollywood roles in hit movies such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the Despicable Me series – making him a multi-millionaire.
But in recent years his alleged treatment of women came into the spotlight following TV and newspaper investigations before police arrested him in 2023, by which time he had turned his attention to podcasting and spirituality.
Mr Brand turned to Christ in 2024 – and was famously baptised in the River Thames alongside his friend Bear Grylls in late April.
Brand said at the time that he saw this spiritual moment as ‘an opportunity to leave the past behind’ and ‘leave behind the sins’. A move to the US, where he also prayed in support of Donald Trump‘s election campaign, has followed.
Brand (pictured in 2006) has strongly denied all accusations about his behaviour and insists that all his sexual relationships ‘were always consensual’
Russell Brand (right) attended a record reveal party for prominent Christian worship singer Brandon Lake (left) in Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has brought charges against Russell Brand, 50, (pictured), for alleged rape and a number of other sexual offences.
Brand, Bear Grylls and an unknown person can be seen pictured stood in the River Thames after the comic’s baptism in April last year
In 2010, after a brief courtship, Brand (R) married dazzling pop star Katy Perry (L) in a seven day ceremony in India. Pictured at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in LA, February 13, 2011. They divorced in 2012
Russell Brand and wife Laura Gallacher are seen on January 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, California
Mr Brand was first interviewed under caution on November 16, 2023 over three sex offence claims after voluntarily attending a police station.
He was interviewed again on December 14 about allegations of a further six historical sex offences and a third interview took place on January 17 last year.
A file was handed to the CPS last November. Today he was charged.
While the authorities considered the case against him, Mr Brand began spending increasing amounts of time in America.
In September he led prayers as he joined Tucker Carlson on a US tour and asked God to bring ‘unity’ to America through the Presidential election.
The comedian turned lifestyle guru, who also worked on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6 Music programmes from 2006 to 2008, told former Fox News host Mr Carlson in a YouTube video months earlier that the claims made against him were ‘very, very hurtful’.
The British comedian and thinker was once a supporter of British hard-left socialist Jeremy Corbyn – now he is an avowed Trump supporter.
He has even attended an event and hosted a podcast at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in recent months.
Russel Brand is now believed to be living in Florida
In September he kneeled in prayer as he joined Tucker Carlson on a US tour and asked God to bring ‘unity’ to America through the Presidential election.
In recent years, Mr Brand has built up a large audience on social media.
He has more than 11million followers on X (formerly known as Twitter), while he also hosts daily live streams on video site Rumble to hundreds of thousands of viewers.
Before turning to God and wellness, Russell Brand built his career on telling and re-telling stories of his sexual exploits.
Brand, an only child from Grays in Essex, became famous thanks to his one-man stand-up shows.
His fame was cemented by the 2008 tome ‘My Booky Wook’ soon afterwards, in which he told of his heroin addiction and sexual encounters.
In 2010, after a brief courtship, he married dazzling pop star Katy Perry in a seven day ceremony in India. They had met at the MTV VMA awards when Perry had thrown a plastic water bottle at his head.
Russell Brand with Jemima Khan in downtown Manhattan on September 15, 2013. After Katy Perry, Brand had a long romance with the British socialite and film maker
Fourteen months later he texted her to tell her that it wasn’t working out and he wanted a divorce.
She later said that he had not liked her being the ‘boss’ on her tour and described his behaviour as ‘really hurtful’.
Born in Grays, Essex, his parents split up when he was six. Although Brand adored his mother, and was bound ever closer to her when she suffered two bouts of cancer when he was a child.
When he was 16, he was accepted at the Italia Conti theatre school and was delighted to find that it was full of beautiful girls.
In the years that followed, Brand tried to build his career as a stand up and developed a serious heroin habit.
He was taken on by MTV, who fired him after he came into work dressed as Osama Bin Laden shortly after September 11th. He also introduced his drug dealer to Kylie Minogue, on air.
He was fired by his talent agents at ICM after a series of incidents on board a ship in Istanbul while making a film with David Walliams and Rob Brydon.
He got clean of drugs after his agent John Noel insisted he go to rehab, and on his return became more successful, landing a job on a Big Brother spin off show.
Russell Brand on set in American Romantic Comedy ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ (2008)
He says that he went into the clinic in America ‘just to shut everyone up really and for the same reason that I finally gave up drink and drugs, because my ambition is the most powerful force within me.
Soon after his biography was published he lost his Radio Two job after the fall out over the telephone call with Andrew Sachs.
His wedding to Katy Perry in 2010 was a £2.5 million seven day extravaganza at the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, just three months after they met.
The singer Rihanna was the maid of honour and guests included David Walliams and Jonathan Ross.
The event included a tiger spotting safari and desert festival, and Brand arriving for the Hindu ceremony on a white horse, attended by camels and elephant.
They announced their separation 14 months later, with Brand reportedly texting Perry on New Year’s Eve to tell her that it wasn’t working out.
In an interview with Vogue magazine soon afterwards she said: ‘I felt a lot of responsibility for it ending, but then I found out the real truth, which I can’t necessarily disclose because I keep it locked in my safe for a rainy day.’
After Perry he had a long romance with British socialite and film maker Jemima Khan.
In 2015 there was a chance meeting on the towpath of a canal in London’s East End where Laura Gallacher’s life changed forever.
A friend had coaxed her out of her flat for a walk. There, as she strolled near her home, was Russell Brand.
It was ‘like he’d organised it’ confessed Ms Gallacher, the younger sister of television star Kirsty Gallacher and daughter of golfer Bernard Gallacher, a Ryder Cup winning captain for Europe.
‘I hadn’t seen Russell for years,’ she said. ‘He was so different. We both immediately knew it was going to be serious.’
Ms Gallacher, a ‘mummy blogger’ and author of parenting book, The Joy Journal For Magical Everyday Play, is said to be ‘kind natured’ and despite coming from a high profile family, happy to stay out of the limelight.
Apart from the odd appearance on 50-year-old Brand’s much-watched YouTube channel either making squishy soap or garden baking trays, she keeps her head down.
There are no red carpet appearances.
She’s the stay-at-home mum who cooks him pesto pasta or frozen pie and chips for dinner and follows him around the world, quietly supporting on his tours.
They have three children.
