Russell Brand reflects on the impact of his baptism after one month as a Christian



Actor and podcaster Russell Brand, 48, announced his intention to get baptized as a Christian in late April, recognizing it as "an opportunity to leave the past behind and be reborn in Christ's name."

The experience, which he described as "incredible and profound," reportedly left him feeling "changed" and "surrendered in Christ." It also made Brand a popular target for leftists, skeptics, and other critics, including those convinced of the legitimacy of the unproven sexual assault allegations leveled against him.

For instance, Guardian columnist Marina Hyde wrote that "[Brand's] spiritual journey has been what you might expect of a bog-standard sex-case-turned-wingnut" and concluded, "you can't help thinking there will only be room for one messiah in that relationship – and unfortunately, it won't be Jesus."

Before launching a vicious attack on Harrison Butker over his commencement speech at a Catholic school, leftist columnist and Anglican priest Michael Coren judged the convert and expressed doubt about the authenticity of Brand's baptism.

Helen Paynter, another left-leaning Christian minister who serves as executive director of the Center for the Study of Bible and Violence at Bristol Baptist College, similarly cast doubt on Brand's sincerity and claimed that the "'celebrification' of baptism is troubling."

The doubts and critiques of strangers appear to have done little to faze the convert, who provided an update Monday, the one-month anniversary of his baptism.

'It changes you — to accept that it's not like you're in a game show and by doing really, really good things you can get redeemed.'

"I've been a Christian a month now, and it's been a big change," said Brand. "Not that I've entirely changed as a person. Of course I haven't. But I've taken on a lot of new concepts."

"It changes you — to accept that it's not like you're in a game show and by doing really, really good things you can get redeemed. No. Repentance — to repent! — means that you have to continually change and acknowledge that I am in a battle against myself; that I need to surrender myself to an ever-present, eternal, and accessible Jesus; that mercy is something that's given to me, been granted to me, that I live with through love — not something that I can sort of win or achieve by doing good deeds," said Brand.

The actor noted that his conversion has exposed him to new people and literature and afforded him a sense of peace.

"When I am in doubt, I feel the instruction is there [and] accessible, and I feel like I know what I'm supposed to do, that's even clearer," continued Brand. "When I feel myself being selfish or inconsiderate or putting myself first or not thinking about how I can be better to other people, it's as if there is an inner illumination available to me now."

Brand marveled at the "simplicity of the idea of God come to earth as a man to experience what it is to be human and to sacrifice Himself because that's the only sacrifice that could bring us home, that could give us the opportunity for redemption."

The actor acknowledged that he is "just at the beginning" of his Christian journey but expressed excitement about the steps ahead.

'People are so cynical about the increasing interest in Christianity and the return to God, but to me, it's obvious.'

Whereas contempt for Brand and doubt over his sincerity have crowded the columns of liberal newspapers in the United Kingdom, the comments on the actor's viral video on X were largely supportive.

BlazeTV host Steve Deace noted, "Absolutely blown away by this. He literally explains what it means to 'work out your salvation with fear and trembling.'"

Allie Beth Stuckey, host of BlazeTV's "Relatable," tweeted, "Russell Brand bringing the simple gospel. We love to see it."

Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon commended Brand on his approach, noting, "Instead of co-opting Christianity for political gain, or wielding Christ's name as a weapon to bludgeon the Jews, he's actually learning about God's grace, letting it change his life, and sharing it all with the world. You love to see it."

Ahead of his baptism, Brand said, "People are so cynical about the increasing interest in Christianity and the return to God, but to me, it's obvious. As meaning deteriorates in the modern world, as our value systems and institutions crumble, all of us become increasingly aware that there is this eerily familiar awakening and beckoning figure that we’ve all known all of our lives, within us and around us."

Brand is one of a number of high-profile celebrities to turn to Christianity in recent months. After rejecting witchcraft and the occult, celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D was baptized late last year, as was survivalist and former SAS trooper Bear Grylls, who waded into the Jordan River.

In conversation with Allie Beth Stuckey, Kat Von D shared a message similar to Brand’s about the impact of her decision: "I feel like I'm the best wife and the best mother I can be now because of the changes that I've had. I mean ... it's like a deprogramming has taken place. Things that I used to find attractive are disgusting to me, you know? And it's like, I wish I could put into words like how amazing those changes are."

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Russell Brand torches MSNBC as 'propagandist nut-crackery' during heated debate on 'Real Time with Bill Maher,' gives warning about big pharma and military-industrial complex



Actor-turned-podcast host Russell Brand pummeled MSNBC, big pharma, and the military-industrial complex during his appearance on the latest episode of "Real Time with Bill Maher."

Brand tussled with fellow guest and liberal MSNBC analyst John Heilemann during a debate about media bias. Brand contended that all of the corporate cable news networks have an inherent bias because of pressure from their controllers. Heilemann claimed that Fox News was far worse in regards to disinformation than MSNBC – the network that signs his checks.

Brand declared, "But I have to say that it's, it's disingenuous to claim that the biases exhibited on Fox News are any different from the biases exhibited on MSNBC."

"It's difficult to suggest that's because these corporations operate as anything other than mouthpieces for their affiliate owners in Blackrock and Vanguard," Brand continued. "We've have to take responsibility for our own perspective."

Brand said, "I've been on that MSNBC. Man, it was a propagandist nut-crackery over there."

Brand spoke about previously appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" show, "It was absurd the way they carried on."

"No one could concentrate, they didn't understand the basic tenets of journalism," the comedian stated.

"No one was willing to stick up for genuine American heroes like Edward Snowden," Brand proclaimed. "No one was willing to talk about Julian Assange and what he's suffered – trying to bring real journalism to the American people."

"I think to sit within the castle of MSNBC throwing rocks at Fox News is ludicrous. Make MSNBC better. Make MSNBC great again," Brand said.

A perturbed Heilemann lashed out, "You don't actually know anything about any of these organizations you're talking about. You've been on MSNBC once – big f***ing deal! You don't have a single actual fact."

Heilemann challenged Brand to provide one example of an MSNBC correspondent or anchor saying something they knew was false on TV.

Brand gladly accepted the challenge.

"The ludicrous, outrageous criticisms of Joe Rogan around ivermectin," Brand retorted. "Deliberately referring to this as a horse medicine when they know this an effective medicine."

Brand raised another example, "What about Rachel Maddow turning up on the TV saying, 'If you take this vaccine you're not gonna get it."

Heilemann simply dismissed Brand's examples without explaining why.

The "Stay Free" podcast host then questioned the MSNBC analyst, "Do you think you can improve America by avowedly condemning Fox News without acknowledging that you're participating in the same game?"

Brand called for systemic changes, and taking money out of politics.

"We need new political systems that genuinely represent ordinary Americans so that we can overcome cultural differences," Brand told Bill Maher. "And bickering about which propagandist network is the worst is not going to save a single American life, not improve the life of a single American child, not going to improve America's standing in the world, and the world needs a strong America. I'll tell you that."

Brand told Heilemann, "So you have an obligation, a duty, not to condemn these people."

(WARNING: Explicit language)

\u201cRussell Brand Calls Out MSNBC's Hypocrisy on COVID\n\n"Do you want an example? The ludicrous, outrageous criticisms of Joe Rogan around Ivermectin deliberately referring to it as a horse medicine when they know it's an effective medicine!"\n\n@rustyrockets @billmaher @joerogan\u201d
— Chief Nerd (@Chief Nerd) 1677935366

Maher said the pandemic dissenters are "looking better these days."

Brand delivered a comedic take on the origin of COVID-19. He suggested that COVID came from a Wuhan lab leak and not the wet market that was touted as the origin of the deadly outbreak.

Maher sarcastically joked, "How could it not be a possibility? It's a lab in Wuhan where the virus started that studied the virus and was doing gain of function research on the virus. How could it not be?"

Heilemann blamed the politicization of the COVID-19 origin debate on former President Donald Trump.

"If you go back to that time, why do people seize on the notion that they'll reject the lab-leak theory? Because like everything else in COVID, Donald Trump politicized it from day one," Heilemann theorized.

Brand pushed back by saying, "It seems that it's not solely the responsibility of Donald Trump that this issue has become politicized. When we take the issue of natural immunity, the efficacy of masks, it's difficult not to posit that perhaps increasingly a centralized authority becomes subject to inquiry that it has never before faced because of the advancement of technology, because of our media ability to communicate, they are doubling down on authoritarianism."

\u201cBill Maher & Russell Brand on the Suppression of the COVID Lab Leak Theory\n\nWait for the end... \ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\n\n@billmaher @rustyrockets\u201d
— Chief Nerd (@Chief Nerd) 1677933249

Brand also delivered a warning about big pharma and the military-industrial complex.

"If you have an economic system in which pharmaceutical companies benefit hugely from medical emergencies, where a military-industrial complex benefits from war, where energy companies benefit from energy crisis, you are going to get states of perpetual crisis where the interests of ordinary people, separate from the interests of the elite," Brand asserted.

\u201cRussell Brand Rips the Pharmaceutical & Military Industrial Complex\n\n"If you have an economic system in which pharmaceutical companies benefit from medical emergencies, where a military industrial complex benefits from war...you are going to generate states of perpetual crisis"\u2026\u201d
— Chief Nerd (@Chief Nerd) 1677936210

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After Russell Brand is attacked by big media, Elon Musk and Jordan Peterson defend the comedian



In the past week, two of Britain's most influential newspapers have launched attacks on comedian and YouTube personality Russell Brand. The condemnations caught the attention of billionaire Elon Musk and clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson – who both defended Brand from the critical articles.

The Independent published an article this week titled: "How did Russell Brand go from stand-up stardom to peddling YouTube conspiracy theories?"

The piece labeled Brand as "Joe Rogan's British counterpart." The article recalled how Brand was once married to Katy Perry and starred in the "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" movie.

"I know! I'm disappointed too. But such is the age we live in: One minute, a comedian is going about his life, building his career, and the next, he's peddling conspiracy theories on YouTube and quoting Glenn Greenwald's newsletter at length," wrote Louis Chilton, who covers video games and culture for the outlet. "No, I don’t like it. Yes, I'm exhausted."

Chilton claimed that Brand "has leaned hard into a brand of pseudo-skepticism we've come to expect from the Joe Rogans of the world."

The article dismissed Brand – who has more than 5.2 million subscribers on YouTube (The Independent has 338,000 subscribers) as a "Twitter reply guy."

The writer asserted that Brand's videos "use the language of conspiracies" and utilize his platform to "share shaky conspiracy theories."

"In Brand's world, there should be room for 'alternative opinions' such as Rogan's. Maybe the 'mainstream media' are just jealous that Rogan is so successful, Brand suggested," the article noted, and then admitted, "Maybe we're jealous because Rogan's viewers trust him."

The Telegraph published a piece titled: "How Russell Brand became the ‘Mad Hatter of conspiracy theories."

"In the age of online conspiracies, which have flourished since the onset of COVID, Brand's alarmist video headlines have found support among the frustrated and locked-down," the article purported. "Now, with global restrictions lifting, Ukraine has become the natural next area for scrutiny."

Both articles don't specify what conspiracy theories Brand has disseminated.

After reading The Independent article, Tesla CEO Elon Musk did his own research into whether or not Brand was peddling conspiracy theories by actually watching his videos and deciding for himself.

"With so many mainstream media companies saying @rustyrockets [Russell Brand] is crazy/dangerous, I watched some of his videos," Musk wrote on Twitter in a reply to The Independent. "Ironically, he seemed more balanced & insightful than those condemning him! The groupthink among major media companies is more troubling. There should be more dissent."

With so many mainstream media companies saying @rustyrockets is crazy/dangerous, I watched some of his videos. Ironically, he seemed more balanced & insightful than those condemning him!\n\nThe groupthink among major media companies is more troubling. There should be more dissent.
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1647634537

Jordan Peterson also defended Brand by saying, "An appalling union of large corporations, media agencies and government. What did Mussolini call that again?"

Peterson is likely referencing this quote: "Fascism should more properly be called corporatism, since it is the merger of state and corporate power." This quote is commonly attributed to Benito Mussolini, but there doesn't seem to be any proof that the Italian fascist leader ever said it.

Brand released a video addressing the attacks on him by big media on his YouTube channel which has more than 630,000,000 views.

"We don’t claim to be a news channel. We're not sending out journalists going, 'Oh my god what’s happening over there?' We're looking at news and analyzing news. That's what we’re doing, just to be clear. We're not claiming to be a news channel."

"So the idea of misinformation — this is opinion," Brand stated. "This is obviously my opinion. We check our sources. We never say anything that can't be backed up."

Brand disputed the accusation of being an "anti-vaxxer," pointing out that he has not told anyone not to get vaccinated, but is empathetic to those who are vaccine-hesitant, especially from minority groups that have less trust of the government. He also stressed that the unvaccinated should not be treated as social pariahs.

Brand also questioned the ownership of The Independent. The British newspaper is owned by Evgeny Lebedev – son of KGB officer-turned-Russian oligarch. The paper is also owned by Sultan Mohamed Abuljadayel – an investor "associated with NCB Capital, the investment banking arm of Saudi Arabia’s National Commercial Bank," according to the Financial Times.

Brand shared a 2019 article from the Guardian:

The Evening Standard and the Independent have been explicitly accused by the British government of being part-owned by the Saudi Arabian state, with a series of “unconventional, complex and clandestine” deals used to hide the sale of stakes in the London-based news outlets to a Saudi government bank.

The culture secretary, Jeremy Wright, last month announced an investigation into the sales, warning that the ultimate investor may have "strong links to the Saudi Arabian state" and raising fears that a foreign government may have gained influence over the news direction of two major British publications.

Brand declared, "The mainstream media is not your friend. The culture is not your friend. Government is not your friend. Big business is not your friend."

My Response www.youtube.com