Russell Brand has faced criticism online after struggling to locate a Bible passage during a television interview.
The 50-year-old comedian and actor, who is currently promoting a new book about his Christian faith, appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored. During the interview, he was asked about the significance of a Bible he had previously brought with him to court.
When pressed on which passages he had been reading, Brand searched through the text for nearly two minutes. At points, he paused, saying “excuse me” and “Man, I didn’t mark it before.” He later admitted: “The verse that I was looking at that day was… not this.”
He continued: “I can’t actually find the verse that I had that day. But this is good enough, this is from Isaiah 12.”
Brand then read aloud: “I will praise you, Lord, although you were angry with me, your anger is turned away, and you have comforted me. Surely God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid the Lord, the Lord Himself, is my strength and my defence.”
He added further context, explaining: “What I was looking at before is that there's a bit where he says, See, I'm doing a new thing. Isaiah says, like springs in the desert that, like in the desert of your life, when your life becomes barren and difficult, a new resource with God will appear.”
“In a situation that obviously feels quite pressurised and condensed... there's the presence of something very beautiful, Grace,” he said.
Brand, who became a Christian in 2025, said he had taken the Bible into a hearing at Southwark Crown Court in February, where it was reportedly removed by court staff after he began reading from it.
The interview has since sparked debate online, particularly around his conversion to Christianity, which happened just months after allegations against him emerged. Some have questioned the sincerity of his faith, while others have defended him.
On social media platform X, one user wrote: “Persecuting a Christian for searching for scripture. . . Nothing awkward. He has reverence for the Bible and he showed his diligence in searching for God’s Holy word. Seek and you shall find. Russell is a man without condemnation in Christ and it shows.”
Others were more sceptical. One post read: “It is so upsetting to see how gullible people are. This guy is a grifter. He is not religious. He is using his new found ‘religion’ to appeal to a new audience, to make millions of dollars while at the same time using religion as a cover. He is very intellectually dishonest person. How many times must people on the right be fooled by this act. Millions of dollars is up for grabs on social media. Ben Shapiro is a true conservative. He is not.”
During the interview, Brand was also asked about his denomination. He said he does not identify with one, explaining: “I'm a kind of Christian that has to hang by a thin thread of faith, knowing that I am broken, that you are broken, denomination or not.”
Brand is due to stand trial at Southwark Crown Court in June 2026. He faces multiple charges, including rape and sexual assault, all of which he denies.
In the same interview, he addressed a past relationship with a 16-year-old, describing it as “morally and spiritually wrong,” while maintaining that it was legal at the time.
In previous statements, Brand said: “When I was young and single, before I had my wife and family… I was a fool, man. 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 I was never a rapist… I have never engaged in non-consensual activity.”
The investigation began in 2023 following allegations reported by Channel 4 and The Sunday Times. The Metropolitan Police say their inquiries remain ongoing.
