Russell Brand claims he has left his excessive drug use behind as he is now "lit up by the Holy Spirit" amid ongoing s*xual assault charges

It has been more than a month since Metropolitan Police charged Russell Brand with s*xual assault and r*pe.

While the actor-comedian has maintained innocence amidst all allegations, he recently opened up about overcoming excessive drug use. The Get Him to the Greek actor mentioned in a post on X about being addicted to illegal and pharmaceutical drugs, but has left them after being “lit up by the Holy Spirit.” Russell Brand wrote:

"I used to take quite a lot of cocaine, crack, heroin, LSD, methamphetamines, ecstasy and marijuana, as well as pharmaceutical drugs, but now I'm lit up by the Holy Spirit."

Russell Brand also candidly wrote about his substance use in his memoir My Booky Wook. Talking about his addiction, the Arthur star mentioned various drugs he used during the early years of his life. Brand also spoke about his addiction during a 2014 interview with Oprah Winfrey, when he revealed that his drug problem began as a child when he was “unhappy, lonely and a bit sad.”

During the same conversation, Russell also reacted to the 60 Minutes interview of Philip Seymour Hoffman. The Oscar-winning actor had passed away earlier that year due to an apparent overdose. After watching a brief clip of Hoffman, Brand said:

"The reason I won't use drugs today or drink today is because I know I can't manage it as a drug addict. The first thing you have to do is accept you can never use or one day at a time don't drink and take drugs. If anything positive can come from the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, it's that his death doesn't make sense, unless you accept the addiction is an illness."

According to FHE Health, Russell Brand has managed to remain sober since entering a 12-step program in 2003. Per the Daily Mail, the English comedian, actor, and author converted to Christianity last year, and Bear Grylls helped to baptize him in the Thames.

Russell Brand faced s*xual assault, r*pe, and other charges in April

The Forgetting Sarah Marshall actor has faced s*xual misconduct charges on different occasions over the years. In February, Brand was sued at London's High Court over alleged s*xual abuse, as reported by Reuters.

Two months later, Metropolitan Police booked the actor-comedian under the charges of one count of r*pe, one allegation of indecent assault, one accusation of oral r*pe, and two counts of s*xual assault. According to the authorities:

"Detectives began investigating in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations, which followed reporting by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times."

Metropolitan Police charged Russell Brand based on separate incidents that allegedly happened between 1999 and 2005. The comedian-actor responded on the same day via a video on X and rejected all the accusations. Russell branded the law as a "weapon" being used to prosecute many. In the clip, the 49-year-old said:

Trending

"When I was young and single, before I had my wife and family, [...] I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, a s*x addict and an imbecile, but what I never was … was a rapist. I’ve never engaged in non consensual activity. I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes."

Brand appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on May 2 and was granted bail. The next hearing will be held on the May 30, as confirmed by the BBC.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback