Russell Brand has shed light on his now-viral interview with Piers Morgan, speaking about how it took place in a 'weird location.' Describing the building as 'Kafka-esque,' the former comedian launched into a lengthy ramble in which he detailed the liminal space where the interview supposedly occurred.
Brand's Comments on the Interview Location
Brand's latest comments come a week after he appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored – an interview that will be remembered more for almost two minutes of dead air than for their scintillating conversation. During that awkward silence, Morgan had asked Brand if he could find the specific Bible passages he had been looking at while in court.
Born-again Christian Brand, who is set to stand trial for serious criminal offences later this year, appeared to struggle before admitting defeat. The star – who denies three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault – has now taken to social media to share more details about his interview experience.
Brand's Social Media Post
Posting to his X account, Brand wrote that Morgan's studio 'felt soulless' and shared a 77-second-long video in which he outlined what he had experienced there. Starting by outlining Czech writer Franz Kafka's horrific depiction of bureaucracy, Brand continued: 'I had noticed where I did that Piers Morgan interview it was in the Associated Press building, downtown New York.'
Describing its similarity to News International in London, he spoke of unmanned turnstiles, no windows, and an elevator through which one is 'summoned up.' He said: 'This being the Associated Press, they proudly show those photographs as if it's Man-Ray or something. Firstly me as a person that's worshipped the culture for a long time, I see those images and think "ah, prestigious images." But when you actually look, it's like that famous Vietnamese guy getting shot in the head at point blank range and you can see the impact of the bullet.'
As the video went on, Brand continued: 'And this system that presents itself to us as kind of neutral always migrates to a kind of evil principle that's prevailing in this world. What do bureaucracies do? They strip away our humanness, our humanity. And what is it like when just on a personal level you're on the phone to your service provider or your Wi-fi network? "I'm sorry hold please." Firstly you'll be dealing with machines for a long long time and if you eventually get a human it's a human with no power.'
Using the TSA as an example, he added: 'No-one's got no power. We're being denied and stripped of our humanity.'
Background on the Interview
Brand was being interviewed by Morgan as part of the press tour for his latest book, How to Become a Christian in 7 Days. In the wake of the interview, Brand acknowledged all the memes the segment had sparked. 'Still looking for that passage, actually,' he said in a video a few days later. Filming himself sitting outside with his Bible, he then came across the one he had been looking for, which was 'marked all along'.
'Wait! @piersmorgan I've found that verse!!', he tweeted. Attributing 'the pressure of the circumstances' to his inability to find the correct verse, he added: 'The really important thing is that we, you, me all of us are loved. And not because of anything we have accomplished or ever could achieve. But because of who loves us.'
Morgan's Reaction
Meanwhile, Morgan has accused the Get Him to the Greek star of being 'inappropriately tactile.' Asked by a viewer how he found all the 'extremely condescending' touching, Morgan described it as 'a bit weird.' He continued: 'Never had a guest be so inappropriately tactile during an interview, which surprised me given the allegations against him.'
Ongoing Legal Case
Detectives first began investigating Brand in September 2023 after several accusations from alleged victims. Channel 4's Dispatches and The Sunday Times then alleged several offences had taken place between the late 1990s and early 2000s. Brand has maintained his innocence throughout, claiming that any encounters were 'consensual.'
He also revealed on Megyn Kelly's podcast that he had an 'exploitative' past sexual relationship with a 16-year-old when he was 30. Noting that the age of consent is 16 in the UK, Brand described his 30-year-old self as 'a different person' and 'immature.' He said: 'Consensual sex actually with a variety of people when there is a strong power differential, as the ability to attract women I had at that time, I think involves exploitation. I think it is exploitative.'
