Katy Perry’s Russell Brand comments resurface amid sexual assault allegations against comic
Katy Perry and Russell Brand divorced more than a decade ago, but the singer’s previous comments about the relationship have recently resurfaced.
British comedian and actor Brand was accused over the weekend of rape, sexual assault and other abusive behavior. Numerous women alleged that they were sexually assaulted by him between 2006 and 2013, according to a joint investigation shared Saturday by the Times of London and Channel 4’s “Dispatches” news program. Shortly after news of the allegations broke, social media users recalled what Perry had to say about her ex-husband in 2013.
“He didn’t like the atmosphere of me being the boss on tour. So that was really hurtful, and it was very controlling, which was upsetting,” the “Teenage Dream” musician told Vogue at the time.
In a joint investigation published Saturday by the Times of London and Channel 4, multiple women accused Brand of rape, sexual assault and other abusive behavior at the height of his fame.
Perry, 38, and “Get Him to the Greek” star Brand, 48, met at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards and married in October 2010. He filed for divorce in December 2011, and the two finalized their separation in February 2012.
The singer told Vogue that she “felt a lot of responsibility” for the end of their marriage, until she “found out the real truth.”
“I can’t necessarily disclose [it] because I keep it locked in my safe for a rainy day,” she said. “I let go and I was like: ‘This isn’t because of me; this is beyond me.’”
At the time, Perry did not reveal additional details about the “truth” she mentioned. Over the weekend, social media users speculated that she was referring either to the alleged behavior detailed in the Times of London and “Dispatches” investigation or to Brand’s struggles with addiction.
Disgraced actor Danny Masterson was sentenced Thursday after having been convicted of raping two former members of the church in the early 2000s.
Also resurfacing on X (formerly Twitter) was Perry’s claim that Brand first expressed his plans for divorce via text message. Perry is currently engaged to “Lord of the Rings” star Orlando Bloom. They have a 3-year-old daughter.
A representative for Perry did not immediately respond to the Los Angeles Times’ request for comment Monday. The singer has not yet publicly addressed the allegations against her ex-husband.
Brand preemptively denied the allegations Friday in a YouTube video.
“The relationships I had were absolutely, always consensual. I was always transparent about that then. Almost too transparent, and I’m being transparent now,” he said. “To see that transparency metastasized into something criminal that I absolutely deny, makes me question: Is there another agenda at play?”
The allegations have already affected Brand’s professional work. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the comedian’s live tour in the U.K. has been postponed amid the sexual assault claims. The Guardian reported Monday that London’s Metropolitan Police had received a report of an alleged sexual assault linked to the weekend allegations against Brand.
“On Sunday 17 September, the Met received a report of a sexual assault which was alleged to have taken place in Soho in central London in 2003. Officers are in contact with the woman and will be providing her with support,” a spokesperson for Scotland Yard said in a statement published by the Guardian.
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