EXCLUSIVERussell Brands father launches extraordinary defence of his son who could be charged over historic sex offences - as he reveals how the disgraced comedian first found religion and his role in US election
Russell Brand’s father - one of the stars staunchest supporters - has today insisted his sons career has not ‘stalled’ in the wake of the sex abuse claims made against him.
Russell Brand’s father - one of the stars staunchest supporters - has today insisted his sons career has not ‘stalled’ in the wake of the sex abuse claims made against him.
Ron Brand, 80, declined to comment on Scotland Yards decision to ask the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to consider bringing charges against his son over allegations made by four women of alleged rape and sexual assault.
But despite this development, and Russells movie career hitting the buffers, Brand Sr has said his sons career has not faltered but instead ‘changed direction’ away from Hollywood towards politics and spirituality in the wake of the sex abuse claims made against him.
Ron, 80, said his son had ditched Tinsel Town because he is ‘concerned about the world’ and the fact ‘we’re being taken over by corporations who now hold more power than most Government.’
And he told MailOnline that the comedian and actor is in the US helping with the Republican campaign in Florida, spending time with Robert F Kennedy Jr as America went to the polls today.
Ron Brand has defended his son, pictured together watching their beloved West Ham United
Brand remains close to his father. His parents split when he was six and his mother beat cancer six times
Father and son together in a YouTube film where they fought in the boxing ring at the start of Russells TV career
As well as his increasing interest in US politics, Russell has turned to Christ in 2024 - and was famously baptised in the River Thames alongside his friend Bear Grylls in late April. Brand said he saw this spiritual moment as an opportunity to leave the past behind and leave behind the sins.
Brand is married to Bernard Gallaghers daughter Laura. The couple have two young children, Mabel and Peggy.
MailOnline revealed yesterday that Russell tweeted cryptically about forgiveness just hours after it emerged detectives investigating historical sex offence allegations against him had passed a file of evidence to British prosecutors.
The 49-year-old vehemently denies any wrongdoing and insists that while he was very, very promiscuous as a younger man, his sexual relationships were always consensual.
Russell - who starred in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek - also voiced Dr. Nefario in the animated movies, Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 but was dropped for Despicable Me 4, which was released in July and grossed more than £630 million worldwide.
Speaking from his home in South-West London, Mr Brand Snr declined to talk about the abuse claims.
But asked whether his son’s previously stellar career had ground to a halt, he told MailOnline: ‘It hasn’t stalled. He’s changed direction.
‘He’s out in Florida at the moment with Robert Kennedy. He’s just concerned about the world really, the way it’s all going and the way we’re being taken over by corporations who now hold more power than most Governments.’
Russell Brand pictured with his wife Laura Gallacher. They have two children
Scotland Yard has asked the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to consider bringing charges against Russell Brand, 49 (pictured in Nashville in July)
Two hours after it emerged that police had handed a file to the CPS, Brand tweeted this message about forgiveness
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.
Brand, Bear Grylls and an unknown person can be seen pictured stood in the River Thames after the comics baptism in April
In recent years, 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.
Earlier this year Brand shared a video to social media revealing how TV adventurer Bear Grylls was one of two men who ‘flanked him’ while he was baptised as a Christian in the River Thames near his home in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
In September he sank to his knees to pray live on stage against ‘dark and demonic’ forces at an event hosted by US media personality and political commentator Tucker Carlson.
Russell has previously called his baptism and new-found Christianity an ‘opportunity to leave the past behind’ - one year on from the Channel 4 Dispatches documentary which exposed the allegations of sexual assault against him.
His father said: ‘He’s always had a tendency to think like that.
‘He was Krishna at 16 and 17, you know the George Harrison stuff, going out to his house and so on.
‘They all went. George kind of turned it into a place for the Krishna’s. Russell never met him, he’d gone by then sadly
‘He met Ringo - Ringo told him how much he admired his programme. At that time Russell had just made Ponderland.
‘Ringo said “Russell, I really like your programme’ and said “what’s it called?”
‘Russell said “Ponderland” and then told him “Ringo, I really like your band…what’s it called again?”’
Ron previously jumped to his sons defence when the allegations first surfaced.
Writing on Facebook, he asked: Is this seriously the most important thing happening in this world?
Immigrants? Cost of living? 10s of thousands killed in Ukraine? Who is prioritising at BBC News. who is really driving this vendetta?
With many struggling to pay bills. The unproven accusations of 15-years ago take lead on BBC News?
Mr Brand Sr with his sons ex-wife Katy Perry
Ron Brand, pictured with Amy Winehouse at the height of his sons fame in 2010
Russell Brand, and mother Barbara at the the European Premiere of Rock Of Ages in London in 2010. Russell was brought up by her and they are close
Comedian Russell Brand and his dad, Ron, are pictured as they leave a London hotel, after enjoying lunch together in 2014
Ron Brand took aim at the allegations and the BBC as he defended his son earlier this year
The influence of Ron Brand on his son and his sex life was revealed in his sons autobiography My Booky Wook.
His parents split up when he was six. Although Brand adored his mother, and was bound ever closer to her when she suffered cancer when he was a child, he has clearly been greatly influenced by his father.
He talked about watching porn videos at his dad’s house when he was in primary school.
When he was 17, Brand and his father went on a trip to the Far East. Brand was hugely excited by chatting to bar girls in Hong Kong, and could not believe his luck when Ron hired three of them to go back to their hotel. ‘My dad set about unwrapping his two prostitutes,’ he wrote.
He attempted to impress the remaining one, although he found the ‘bedlam’ from the neighbouring bed unsettling.
I sat on the edge of the other twin bed. She must have known I was a virgin as soon as the bungling encounter commenced.
I stroked Mary-Lous hair and kissed her cheek and traced my finger down her perfect nose, scored by the cacophony from the adjacent bedlam, "Yeah, come on! and "Phwooar, youre juicy".
He added that ‘during the rest of that holiday I f****d loads more prostitutes and never wore a condom… it had hardened me… my sexuality had morphed for ever from bewildered innocence into something more complex and rapacious.’
Brand Sr, a former footballer and actor turned photographer who has apparently been married three times, lists himself as single on Facebook. On Facebook he says he studied at Life and the college of getting the sh*t kicked out of you.
His son has admitted that he had a strange relationship with his father, who left the family home when he was a young child. He was then a sporadic visitor.
He lived alone at a flat in in Brentwood. Russell said in his book that he would watch porn at his dads bachelor pad while Ron had sex with women in the bedroom.
Ron would apparently always be there for his sons birthdays but would bring inappropriate gifts, such as a giant dog called Toby.
Brand Sr moved to Germany for a time and after a windfall of cash sent his son to private school but this only lasted a term.
In 2012, at the height of his sons fame he faced bankruptcy proceedings in Guildford for £13,000 in unpaid rent. It was claimed he had refused to ask his famous millionaire son for help.
At the same time he was photographed out with his son, and some of his sons famous friends, including Amy Winehouse.
Russell, 49, is facing a police investigation into claims he sexually assaulted five women between 2006 and 2013.
But despite the development in the UK he is currently in Florida for today’s US elections with Donald Trump ally Robert F Kennedy Jr who despite running an unsuccessful third-party presidential bid is still on the ballot in two ‘swing states’ - Michigan and Wisconsin - despite failed legal attempts to remove his name.
In May the embattled actor and comedian performed at a campaign event in Nashville Tennessee for Kennedy Jr - a notorious anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist - where he claimed that the CIA had infiltrated the media.
Kennedy Jr - Nephew to former President, John F Kennedy - later praised Russell and the others who performed as high priests of society.
The Essex-born star has appeared in no films or TV programmes since the women came forward last year making allegations of rape and sexual assault.
MailOnline has asked the stars lawyer to comment on the development.
One of the first women to accuse Brand - referred to as Alice to protect her identity - claimed she was in an emotionally abusive and controlling relationship with the comedian, then 31, as a teenager for about three months.
It has since been revealed that Russell Brand has been interviewed by the police on three separate occassions
Russell Brand is pictured appearing on The Paul OGrady Show in November 2017
One of the first women to accuse Brand - referred to as Alice to protect her identity - claimed she was in an emotionally abusive and controlling relationship with the comedian
Alice, who has branded the stars alleged behaviour as grooming, claimed that throughout their relationship he would refer to her as The Child and that he gradually became controlling, and then emotionally and sexually abusive.
She claims: Russell engaged in the behaviours of a groomer but I didnt know what that was back then. He would try to drive a wedge between me and my parents, taught me to lie to them.
I was at my dads house and it was 11 oclock at night. He texted me, I came up with a scenario where I said my friend was ill, and we would role play text message conversations. He had a whole script for me.
Another woman claimed that Brand sexually assaulted her while she worked with him in LA. She alleged she repeatedly told him to get off her and when he finally did he flipped.
It was also claimed another woman was sexually assaulted by Brand in the UK and she also accused him of being physically and emotionally abusive towards her.
In the wake of the scandal, a fifth woman filed a report to the Metropolitan Police, claiming she was sexually assaulted by the star in Soho, London, in 2003.
Another woman has accused Brand of locking her in a dressing room and pinning her to a sofa with a glazed look on his face.
The alleged incident, as reported in The Sun, was said to have taken place in 2008 when the comic was 33, after a gig in West London.
Russel Brand was accused of rape, assault and emotional abuse as part of a joint investigation by Channel 4s Dispatches programme, The Times and Sunday Times last year
One woman also came forward claiming Brand exposed himself to her in an office where BBC Los Angeles operated from in 2008, before going to pre-record a programme for Radio 2 where he appeared to joke about the alleged incident.
And another who was named Sarah to protect her identity, claimed the comic had left her feeling vulnerable and intimidated after he allegedly refused to get her a taxi until she performed a sex act.
