Amidst a flurry of resurfaced interviews related to Russell Brand, one has particularly captured the public's attention. In an interview with Vogue in 2013, Katy Perry seemed to hint at knowing ‘the real truth’ about her ex-husband, and it’s got lots of people talking.
Brand, 48, has been accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse during the height of his fame by four women. The claims were made in a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4's Dispatches. Brand has strongly denied all the 'very serious allegations' made against him, which date back to between 2006 and 2013, and has insisted that his past relationships have been 'absolutely always consensual.'
Perry, 38, has not directly addressed the allegations against her ex-husband, but over the past few days, there has been renewed interest in what she has said about their relationship in the past. Today, search for ‘Katy Perry Russell Brand quote’ is up by 500% and ‘Katy Perry Russell Brand marriage’ is a breakout search term on Google.
Perry and Brand’s whirlwind romance began in 2009, when Katy (then 25) made a cameo appearance in Russell's (then 35) film Get Him to the Greek. They married in October 2010, but split just 14 months later when Brand told Perry he wanted a divorce via text message before she was about to go on stage. Speaking to Vogue in 2013, she said ‘He’s 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 December 31, 2011.’
In the interview, Perry also shares more insight into her marriage with Brand. ‘At first, when I met him, he wanted an equal, and I think a lot of times strong men do want an equal, but then they get that equal and they’re like, “I can’t handle the equalness,”' she said. ‘I felt a lot of responsibility for it ending, but then I found out the real truth, which I can’t necessarily disclose because I keep it locked in my safe for a rainy day. I let go and I was like: This isn’t because of me; this is beyond me. So I have moved on from that.’
The Vogue interview caught the attention of Piers Morgan, who interviewed Brand for GQ Magazine back in 2006. Reflecting on the interview in a piece published in The Sun yesterday, Morgan detailed how he’d asked Brand ‘Are you a more successful sexual predator now that you don’t drink?’ Brand replied ‘Yes, but I resent the word “predator”. I like to think of myself as a conduit of natural forces.’
Morgan continued by writing ‘I didn’t know if he was an actual sexual predator when I used that description in a jocular manner, and he instantly denied being one then as emphatically as he did again in response to the very serious revelations published in the Sunday Times and broadcast by Channel 4 Dispatches’ adding ‘But there can be no doubt from the way Brand spoke about women that he considered them as some kind of prey, nor that he is the single most shameless and brazen sexual braggart I’ve ever interviewed […] Someone who might know is his ex-wife, pop superstar Katy Perry.’
Morgan went on to detail how Perry turned down an interview with him in 2013 after they met at a Vanity Fair party - shortly after her divorce from Brand. When he asked her why, Perry said 'Because you’ll get the truth out of me, and I’m just not ready to tell you the truth! In fact, I’m not sure I’m ready to admit the truth to myself.’
During this meeting, Morgan alleged that Perry revealed her nickname for Brand was ‘Rasputin’ - a historic figure who was known for seducing women. When Piers revealed Perry’s nickname to Brand, he reportedly replied ‘he was a pretty powerful bloke, he could manipulate folk with his eyes.'
Perry is now happily married to Orlando Bloom, and the couple share a daughter, Daisy Dove, together. But, despite her being split from Brand for over a decade, some people on social media are calling for Perry to respond to the allegations. One Twitter user writes ‘Speak up Katy !! #RussellBrand you have to for ALL women these are predators who abuse.’
Yesterday, Perry posted on social media for the first time since the allegations against Brand were made. She shared a picture on Instagram to promote her latest line of cowboy boots, which showed her sat on a scooter with the caption 'Scootin n bootin.' Although the post didn't reference Brand, some of her followers were again quick to question why she hasn't commented on the allegations. 'What about Russell brand?' one follower wrote, while a second added: 'I wonder what she's making of all the Russell brand news.'
However, others have come to Perry's defence. One Twitter user wrote ‘ZERO responsibility of these disclosures lie with Katy Perry, and she owes none of us her story. Not back then, and certainly not now. Women are always used to take the heat & responsibility away from abusive men. Place 100% of the blame with the perpetrators, always.’
There's two things going on here. Firstly, what 'truth' are people asking Perry to disclose? We have no idea what actually happened in her marriage to Brand, and whether her past comments in Vogue relate to his alleged behaviour is all just speculation at this stage.
Secondly, asking Perry to speak out implies she somehow needs to take responsibility for her ex-husband's behaviour. Sadly, this is part of a long-running theme that women are somehow accountable for their partner, or former partner's, actions, even when these relationships are long in the past. Just take the backlash against Georgina Chapman, when the allegations against her then-husband Harvey Weinstein surfaced in 2017.
When troubling allegations like these surface, people naturally want to find someone to blame. But it's none of our business what happened in the privacy of their marriage, unless she chooses to share it with the world. And whether she chooses to disclose details about her past marriage is her choice only.