He is just days away from his first scheduled court appearance after being charged with a series of sex crimes, including rape.
But comedian Russell Brand is continuing to live his life while embracing his newfound Christian faith as he enjoyed Easter celebrations over the weekend with members of a congregation near his US home in Florida.
The actor-turned-activist said he was having a ‘beautiful Resurrection Day with so many joyful souls’ on Sunday as he posed for photos on what is believed to be Pensacola Beach in Florida, including one alongside John Spencer, the founding pastor of the nearby Coastline Calvary Chapel.
Brand, 49, was earlier this month charged with one count of rape, one count of indecent assault, one count of oral rape and two counts of sexual assault, allegedly committed between 1999 and 2005 against four separate women.
The alleged offences are said to have taken place in Bournemouth and the Westminster area of London.
The Metropolitan Police began investigating Brand in September 2023 after a number of allegations were first reported by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times.
He moved to the US last year with his wife, Laura Gallacher – sister of TV presenter Kirsty – and their three young children, claiming it was because he had become an ‘inconvenience’ to the ‘media, government and judiciary’ in Britain.
The former Left-wing media darling has since been feted by the pro-Donald Trump ‘Make America Great Again’ movement and made a series of anti-vax and other conspiracy theory claims.
On Sunday the actor-turned-activist Brand posted several images on Instagram with the caption ‘A beautiful Resurrection Day with so many joyful souls’
The Metropolitan Police began investigating Brand in September 2023 after a number of allegations were first reported by Channel 4 ’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times
Last year, he was baptised in the River Thames by his friend, the TV adventurer Bear Grylls, and he now regularly discusses his religion on social media and the streaming platform Rumble.
In a video posted to X after the charges were announced against him, Brand denied the allegations. He said: ‘I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, a sex 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.’
He added: ‘Of course I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court and I’m incredibly grateful for that.’
Brand is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on May 2.
