Russell brand reveals he didn’t say “yes” to Katy Perry for all the right reasons.
The comedian reflects on his brief marriage to the phenomenal singer, revealing his thoughts on why their union was so fleeting. He laid all his cards on the table while describing his ex as a true lover, while taking full responsibility for the failure of their marriage.
Russell Brand recently gained attention over sexual assault allegations. The podcaster previously admitted to having sex with a 16-year-old when he was almost twice his age.
Russell Brand thought marrying Katy Perry would improve his self-esteem
Brand spilled the tea on the story surrounding his brief marriage to the iconic singer, sharing that he got involved with the union for the wrong reasons. The comedian admittedly said, “I didn’t handle this marriage very well” during his appearance in an interview with Megyn Kelly. He revealed that he was already struggling with his own life, feeling unfulfilled and thought saying his vows to the singer would improve his self-esteem.
“Here I am taking full responsibility for all the mistakes I’ve made in this marriage. I wanted to grab it like, ‘There, I got this,'” he said, adding that he felt inadequate on his own. Brand went on to reveal that he considered Perry a “glorious thing” and, therefore, pushed them to get married early. “I felt inadequate and insecure, that I wasn’t enough and that if I was married to her I would somehow be a better and more important person,” Brand added before admitting that he has since realized his flaws.
The 50-year-old comedian shared during his appearance on SiriusXM’s “The Megyn Kelly Show” that his expectations of Perry put a lot of unnecessary pressure and tension on their union. Brand and the “Roar” singer took their vows in October 2010. He filed for divorce just after their wedding took place a little over a year later, in December 2011, citing “irreconcilable differences.” Their divorce was finally finalized in July 2012.
The podcaster described his ex as a “really lovely” person
In his interview with the political commentator, Brand did not refrain from talking about the love he shared with Perry. He described being in love as an incredible experience, adding that the “Unconditionally” singer was a very young woman with big dreams when they got married.
Speaking about the popstar, Brand said: “She has an innocence. She’s a really beautiful person. She’s also incredibly driven and worked really, really hard. I saw her work really hard. But she was really, really, really lovely.” He watched her achieve her dream of becoming a world-famous pop star, but he still struggled with the mindset of the obligations he hoped she would fulfill for him during their marriage.
Brand admitted that there were times when he felt alone while she was focused on her work, but he tried to cope with the consolation of having married a pop star. It only made him wonder why the relationship wasn’t working. The former couple have not been in contact since Brand revealed plans to split. However, he told Kelly that he remained in contact with Perry’s parents “because they are good Christians.”
The songwriter had a bizarre nickname for his brand
At the height of sexual assault allegations made against the actor, TV personality Piers Morgan revealed that Perry had given Brand an eyebrow-raising nickname. Morgan revealed the iconic singer nicknamed her ex Rasputin, which in Russian means “the debauched one.” Yahoo! details that the name is also associated with a leading man of the Russian court of the 1900s, renowned for seducing women.
Although it’s unclear why Perry gave the actor the nickname, he reportedly admitted he was “thrilled” about it. The nickname couldn’t have been revealed at a better time than when he was facing sexual assault allegations from different women. One of the women accused the British actor of raping her against the wall without a condom. She said they met in June 2012 and then engaged in consensual sexual activity at her Los Angeles home.
However, on the morning of July 1, he asked her to have a threesome with him and a friend who was waiting for her in his room. She refused and “tried to get away from him,” but Brand pushed her against a wall, grabbed her underwear and pulled them to the side. She claimed she repeatedly asked him to “come down,” but he did not obey; instead, he raped her against the wall without a condom.
In April 2025, Brand was charged with five counts of assault and rape after four different women made allegations against him. The alleged assaults took place in the United Kingdom between 1999 and 2005. The first complaint made by one of the women was in 1999 and allegedly took place in the south of England; the next one happened about two years later.
The Blast reported that one of the women claimed she was indecently assaulted in London in 2001. The third woman had similar claims but with a different timeline. She revealed that Brand sexually assaulted her in London between 2004 and 2005. The latest claim was more specific, with the woman alleging that the actor orally raped and sexually assaulted her in London in 2004.
In December, charges increased as the Metropolitan Police brought new rape and sexual assault charges against Brand, linked to two additional women and incidents allegedly taking place in 2009. The comedian denied the allegations, and in May 2025 and February 2026, he pleaded not guilty to the charges, saying all of his past sexual relationships were consensual. He is scheduled to appear in court on October 12, 2026.
Russell Brand comes to his own defense amid Katy Perry silence
Perry has not made any statements or publicly addressed the sexual assault accusations against her ex-husband since they made headlines. Brand, however, spoke out in his own defense, stating that there was nothing wrong with him sleeping with a 16-year-old when he was a thirty-year-old in London.
The actor revealed that the incident happened during his promiscuous days, noting that he felt no remorse for having sex with someone who was almost half his age at the time. The Blast broke the fact that while it did not reveal the identity of the individual, it pointed out that they were not wrong for engaging in this sexual escapade, as 16 is the age of consent in the United Kingdom.
The comedian reiterated that he only had consensual sex with all of his partners, including the 16-year-old. True, he shared that in the past he was generally not nice to his partners, but he never assaulted them by doing anything against their will and without their consent.
Is a Katy Perry response to Russell Brand brewing?