How 2000s lad culture helped Russell Brand to hide in plain sight

He morphed from provocative stand-up comic to TV star and Hollywood actor. He became a YouTuber and political activist, taking up left-wing causes around issues of inequality in the 2010s, then Covid conspiracies and in 2024 supporting Donald Trump for president. That same year he was baptised as a Christian in London's River Thames.

On Thursday, the disgraced comedian was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court , following a three-week trial. As he faces jail, it's clear that the behaviour that formed the backdrop to Brand's prosecution is the same behaviour that helped elevate him in the first place. He cultivated the image of an insatiable, shameless womaniser.

Sex, drugs and excess were central to his comic material. Over the decade of his offending, Brand sold out stand-up comedy venues and theatres, broadcasters - including MTV, Channel 4 and the BBC - started to throw money at him.