[notdevice]Put content here that you only want displayed on Desktops NOT Phones OR Tablets[/notdevice]Russell Brand is an English comedian, actor, radio host, author, and a world-famous activist. Beginning his career as a stand-up comedian and later becoming an MTV presenter, Brand has made a career out of making people laugh with him, and at him. Here are 42 hilarious facts about Russell Brand.
1. Moody
British comedian Russell Edward Brand suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which symptoms include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. He’s also been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder–a condition that affects moods, which can swing from one extreme to another.
Russell Brand Facts
2. Eww!
He guest edited an essay in New Statesman, where he included a 4,500 word call for revolution. In it, he likened shaking George Osborne’s hand to “sliding [his] hand into a dilated cow.”
3. Poor Taste
After turning up to work dressed as Osama bin Laden the day after the horrific September 11 terrorist attacks, it’s easy to see why Brand was fired from his MTV presenting job. In his autobiography, Russell later said, “What I’ve learnt – to my cost – on several occasions in my life, is that people will put up with all manner of bad behavior so long as you’re giving them what they want. They’ll laugh and get into it and enjoy the anecdotes and the craziness and the mayhem as long as you’re doing your job well, but the minute you’re not, you’re [redacted]ed. They’ll wipe their hands of you without a second glance.”
D B Young, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
4. Footy Fan
He freaking loves football and has been an avid supporter of West Ham United since he was a young child. Brand isn’t the only high-profile supporter of The Hammers either. The club has many famous faces on their celebrity roster, including John Cleese, Keira Knightley, James Corden, Ray Winstone and President Barack Obama.
5. Audish
Russell once auditioned for the boy band Five. It’s now hard to imagine how he would have fit into the typical boy band group, considering his less than clean cut image.
jessie essex, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
6. Hooked
At sixteen years old, Russell Brand took a not-so-PG trip to the far east with his father, who he rarely spent time with. While in Hong Kong, his dad took him to an establishment where they picked up three prostitutes and went back to their hotel room.
7. For The People
During an interview with Jeremy Paxman in October 2013, Russell Brand admitted that he never once voted in the general elections. He did, however, state a desire to bring about change in the current political system and start a revolution that makes society fairer and distributes wealth more evenly.
8. Delivery
Brand once worked as a postman, although he wasn’t exactly employee of the month at Royal Mail. He had to say sorry for stealing cash from letters and birthday cards while he was on the job to feed his drug addiction. Apparently, he only took the job in the hope of being propositioned by some lonely women.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
9. Disorderly
Russell Brand suffered with weight issues as a child, which he admits openly: “I was a fat kid, not obese but chubby.” He considers his weight struggles as one of the reasons he suffered from depression and bulimia from the age of 11. Brand said of the illness that “It was really unusual in boys, quite embarrassing. But I found it euphoric.”
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10. For The Planet
Brand became a vegetarian at the age of 14, and he then went the whole distance and became a vegan in 2011. PETA named Brand “World’s Sexiest Vegetarian” in 2007. Brand said on his commitment to vegetarianism that “Even as a junkie, I stayed true – ‘I shall have heroin, but I shan’t have a hamburger.’ What a sexy little paradox.”
Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
11. Huge Fan
Russell Brand has a cat that he named Morrissey, after the frontman of one of his favourite bands, The Smiths. Who doesn’t love Morrissey?
Entertainment Press, Shutterstock
12. Home Trouble
At the age of 16, he left home because of disagreements with his mother's partner. Luckily, things turned out pretty well for Brand, but we certainly don’t recommend this course of action.
13. Extra, Extra
Brand made his theatrical debut at age 15 in a school production of Bugsy Malone, and he then began work as a film extra. It wasn’t until he started stand-up comedy that he landed his first big role.
14. Funded
Brand attended Grays School Media Arts College, and in 1991, he was accepted to the Italia Conti Academy. His first year of tuition funded by Essex County Council. After year one at Italia Conti Academy, Brand was expelled for drug use and poor attendance.
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
15. He’s Watching
Brand first achieved notoriety in 2004 as the host of Big Brother's Big Mouth, a spin-off of Big Brother. An apropos title for a show hosted by Brand.
16. Acting Up
In 2007, he had his first major film role in St Trinian's. The following year, he landed a major role in the romantic comedy-drama Forgetting Sarah Marshall; the film led to him starring in a spin off alongside Jonah Hill, the rock comedy Get Him to the Greek (2010).
17. For The People Pt II
Since guest editing an edition of British political weekly New Statesman in 2013, Brand has become known as a public activist and campaigner. He has spoken on a wide range of political and cultural issues, including income inequality, addiction, corporate capitalism, climate change, and media bias. Sounds like Russell is rustling some feathers!
18. Not Quite
Brand performed stand-up at the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year Final in 2000. Although he finished fourth, his performance attracted the attention of Gagged and Bound Comedy Ltd. agent Nigel Klarfeld.
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
19. Helping Hand
In March 2007, he co-hosted an evening of the Teenage Cancer Trust gigs with Noel Fielding. The two comedians brought guests on stage and joked at their expense, and even gave an audience member a haircut.
20. Royally
In 2007, Brand performed for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in the 2007 Royal Variety Performance. No word on how Queen Elizabeth felt about the performance.
21. Makin’ It
His second nationwide tour (2007), was called Russell Brand: Only Joking. It released on DVD as Russell Brand: Doin' Life.
D B Young, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
22. The Big Time
Brand began performing in the United States and recorded a special for Comedy Central titled Russell Brand in New York, which aired in March 2009. If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out.
23. Origins
Brand's first presenting role came in 2000 as a video journalist on MTV. He presented Dancefloor Chart, touring nightclubs in Britain and Ibiza, and he also later hosted the tea-time request show Select.
24. Road Gig
On 12 December 2007, BBC Four aired Russell Brand On the Road, a well-received yet odd documentary presented by Brand and Matt Morgan about the writer Jack Kerouac and his novel On the Road. 2007 was a big year for Russell, if you haven’t already figured it out.
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
25. Not The Right Fit
Brand auditioned for the role of Super Hans in the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show, but the role eventually went to Matt King.
26. Art Imitates Life
In 2007, Brand appeared in Cold Blood for ITV, where he played an ex-con called Ally. Brand also played a recovering crack addict in the pilot for the ITV comedy The Abbey, written by Morwenna Banks. Brand had struggled with drug addiction for most of his early life.
ITV Studios, Cold Blood (TV series)
27. Published
Brand's first autobiography, which was titled My Booky Wook, was released on November 15th of 2007 and received favorable reviews.
28. Footy Fan Pt II
From 2006 until 2009, Brand wrote a column for The Guardian that focused on West Ham United and the England national football team. A collection of the columns from 2006 and 2007 was released in a book that was titled Irons in the Fire.
Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
29. Katy Perry
Brand met singer Katy Perry in mid-2009 when she filmed a cameo for his film Get Him to the Greek, although the cameo was cut from the film. The pair began dating after meeting again at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Brand and Perry got engaged on New Year's Eve 2009 while on a trip in India. On December 30, 2011, Brand filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
Christopher Polk, Getty Images
30. Reception
Brand and Perry hosted a Bollywood-themed party on the Friday night before their wedding. Russell wore a white kurta pyjama, which is a traditional Indian outfit of loose pants and a shirt, while Katy sported a red sari.
31. Unforgettable
Two massive elephants named Laxmi and Mala were on hand for the big day, walking into the venue on a red carpet. During the Indian-themed wedding procession, Brand and Perry also incorporated traditional Indian music into their ceremony, including Rajasthani folk music and sacred Vedic chanting.
Simon de Trey-White, Getty Images
32. Taken Care Of
In addition to treating their guests to various song and dance performances, Katy and Russell also showered their closest friends and family members with shopping sprees and safari trips. A wedding where the guests come out in the black is the type of wedding we want to get invited to.
Simon de Trey-White, Getty Images
33. Fusion
Despite relying heavily on the Hindu faith and South Asian wedding traditions for the ceremony, the union was actually performed by a Christian minister and longtime friend of Katy's family, which makes some sense given how Katy has spoken at length about her strict Catholic upbringing. A rep for the couple told People at the time that the wedding was "very private and spiritual."
Simon de Trey-White, Getty Images
34. Privacy
In 2010, Brand was arrested on battery charges after he allegedly attacked a paparazzo who blocked his and Perry's way to catch a plane at Los Angeles International Airport. The journalist placed Brand under citizen's arrest until police arrived. He was released from custody after posting US$20,000 bail. In a similar incident in 2012, an arrest warrant was issued for Brand in New Orleans due to allegations that he had thrown a photographer's mobile phone through a window.
35. Dog Days
Brand once cut some blonde hair off a dog and stuck it into his own hair, which made him look like the blonde quaffed 90s rapper Vanilla Ice. We're not entirely sure is an act of pure stupidity or actually a clever way to go about disguising yourself. Regardless, he was only a young boy at the time. His mum Barbara told VIP that "He got hold of his father's girlfriend's dog and cut a chunk of its blond curls off. He didn't hurt the little thing!"
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
36. Over Text
Brand ended his marriage with Perry over a text message. Katy Perry told Vogue that Brand is "a very smart man, and I was in love with him when I married him. Let's just say I haven't heard from him since he texted me saying he was divorcing me.”
37. Fashionista
In 2013, Brand ripped into GQ Man Of The Year awards sponsor Hugo Boss. He placed a finger under his nose, in a heartfelt impersonation of Adolf Hitler, and started goose-stepping. Brand then said, “If anyone knows a bit about history and fashion, you know it was Hugo Boss who made uniforms for the Nazis. But they looked [redacted]ing amazing.” Brand was eventually ejected from the event.
38. Shy Guy
Brand insists that he's actually less gregarious when he's not in the spotlight. "Outside of performing, I'm not a particularly confident person. I'm shy, awkward, nervous, gauche.” Well, as shy and awkward a man with three-foot-high hair can be, we presume.
39. Single Mom
Russell was raised solely by his mother, who worked as a secretary and made ends meet by selling dishwashers on the side. Something tells us she’s no longer selling anything on the side, except maybe autographs.
40. Phrasing
Russell was arrested for stripping at the 2003 May Day protest in London, though he'd probably term the misdemeanour "denudation of his apparel with temerarious spontaneity." Russell loves impressing people with his lengthy vocabulary.
41. Kick It
Russell is a patron of Focus 12, which is the counselling charity that helped him to beat cocaine, heroin, tobacco and alcohol addiction. That’s just awesome, no matter how you cut it.
42. Lucky
The UK news company, The Sun, named Brand ‘Shagger of the Year’ in 2006, 2007 and 2008. With quotes like this it is easy to see why he has taken the title 3 times: “I like threesomes with two women, not because I’m a cynical sexual predator. Oh no! But because I’m a romantic. I’m looking for “The One.” And I’ll find her more quickly if I audition two at a time.”
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