Disgraced actor-turned-right-wing podcaster Russell Brand, 50, was ridiculed online after struggling to find a Bible passage that resonated with him during his sexual assault and rape hearing in February. The incident occurred during an interview with Piers Morgan on his show Piers Morgan Uncensored on Friday.
The Awkward Moment
When Morgan asked the born-again Christian, "What were the relevant passages for you?" Brand spent approximately 90 seconds flipping through the Bible, unable to locate the verse he had intended to reference. The prolonged silence prompted Morgan to glance awkwardly at the camera, reminiscent of a scene from The Office.
Eventually, Brand admitted, "I can't actually find the verse that I had that day, but this is good enough," before reading aloud from Isaiah. The cringeworthy interaction quickly went viral, drawing widespread mockery on social media.
Online Reactions
Users on X (formerly Twitter) were quick to comment. One user described it as "the longest 25 seconds of my life," while another quipped, "SNL ready, no changes necessary." A particularly scathing remark noted, "No clip has ever summed up performative Christianity this perfectly." Others praised Morgan's restraint, with one observer saying, "The discipline of Piers Morgan to just sit there silently for the excruciating 90 seconds of page turning without interjecting at all... props."
Brand's Recent Confessions
The interview followed a shocking confession Brand made on Megyn Kelly's show, where he admitted to having "exploitative" sex with a 16-year-old girl when he was 30. During the Morgan interview, Brand acknowledged that it is "not nice to know" his actions have "contributed to a person's suffering." He stated, "I would say, Piers, on a personal level, yes of course, that's wrong. It's morally and spiritually wrong, it's legal. It's not a legal issue."
The woman alleges that Brand once forced his penis down her throat, causing her to choke, and he only stopped when she punched him in the stomach.
Legal and Personal Context
The English actor, embroiled in multiple rape and sexual assault accusations, is set to face trial later this year in the U.K. He has been living in the U.S. since the allegations surfaced. In 2024, Brand announced he had become a born-again Christian and has aligned himself with some of President Donald Trump's MAGA allies.
During the interview, Morgan grilled Brand about speculation that his recent online persona is a "grift." Morgan said, "There are people who think you're basically just a massive grifter, that you're very smart, you're very eloquent, you can be very persuasive with the power of your words, but that actually when it comes to any of these issues, you don't really have a personal principle."
