Russell Brand Exposes the Right’s Persecution Complex

When Russell Brand was first accused of sexual assault in 2023, the actor-comedian’s fan base and newly acquired allies in the MAGAsphere rallied around him, decrying the allegations as political persecution against a man who dared to speak up against Covid restrictions, vaccine mandates, and censorship.

Many of those same allies doubled down in 2025 when law enforcement in the U.K. brought criminal charges against Brand over those same allegations.