As Russell Brand faces multiple assault allegations, fans are looking back on his short-lived marriage to Katy Perry.
Brand faces allegations from four women who say he raped, sexually assaulted or abused them between 2006 and 2013. These were published and televised following a joint investigation that resulted in a Channel 4 TV documentary and in joint reports in The Times of London and Sunday Times newspapers.
Prior to the reports going public, Brand denied the allegations in a video he posted to his social media accounts. An attorney for Brand declined to comment to NBC News about the allegations. TODAY.com has reached out to Perry for comment.
Brand was married to pop star Perry from 2010 to 2012. Earlier this year, the actor and comedian characterized the time in his life he was married to Perry as "chaotic."
The comedian appeared on the Aug. 6 episode of “Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge,” where he called the singer an “amazing person” before sharing some insight into their time together.
While talking about his struggles early in his career, Brand told Bear Grylls that he was with Perry “when I sort of (was) most in the public eye and working in America.”
“Some aspects of it were, like, amazing. She’s an amazing person and it was kind of incredible to live for a moment in that eye of the cyclone-type aspect of fame,” he continued.
“Aside from my feelings of affection for Katy, it’s a time that I remember being a little bit chaotic and a bit, for me, to speak for myself, but a little disconnected.”
When were Russell Brand and Katy Perry together?
The “Get Him to the Greek” star and “Firework” singer began dating in 2009, before getting engaged four months later, per People.
The pair got married in October 10, 2010 in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony at a luxury resort in a tiger reserve in northwestern India, the Associated Press reported at the time.
By December of 2011, the British actor filed for divorce from Perry, citing irreconcilable differences.
“Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage. I’ll always adore her and I know we’ll remain friends,” Brand told People in a statement at the time.
What did Katy Perry say after her divorce from Russell Brand?
Over the years, the pair have made comments about their marriage. The “Roar” singer spoke about the end of her relationship and how much she missed Russell in her 2012 documentary “Part Of Me.”
In her cover interview for Vogue in June 2013, Perry did not shy away from saying that her and Brand’s relationship was anything but a “Teenage Dream.”
“He’s a very smart man, a magical man and I was in love with him when I married him,” Perry said, “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. 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.”
“Let’s just say I haven’t heard from him since he texted me saying he was divorcing me December 31, 2011,” she said.
At the time, she said that her work schedule and touring played a part in their separation, and hinted at a bigger reason which she did not share.
“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,” she said.
Russell Brand shared his side of the story
In the trailer for his 2015 documentary, “BRAND: A Second Coming,” joked about living as a “vapid, vacuous celebrity” while being married to Perry and the attention they were getting. After filing for divorce, in the teaser, he says he wanted to “go live a different life.”
In 2017, Russell, who has previously talked about his battle with addiction, spoke kindly of his ex while discussing the pressure he felt when they were together.
"Thinking about it now, I must have been conscious on some level that it would be very, very challenging if there were external influences," Brand said during the U.K. show "John Bishop in Conversation."
“Katy was obviously very, very occupied and very busy. I was very occupied and very busy — not to the same degree, I recognize,” he added, in part. “The marriage didn’t last for a very long time, and I think that is to do with the undulated nature of fame and that, living in those conditions and what was happening,”
At the time, he said he still felt “very warm towards her.”
“I feel like, when I hear about her or see her, ‘Awe, there’s that person. There’s that person in the world,’” he added.
By 2017, while on “The Wendy Williams Show,” Brand would once again praise Perry calling her “lovely.”
“She was lovely. She’s such a lovely person, I’ve got nothing but love for her,” he told the host, later adding, “I wish her all the best in all of her endeavors.”
What is Russell Brand and Katy Perry's relationship status now?
Brand would go on to marry Laura Gallacher in 2017. The pair are parents to daughters Mabel and Peggy per People. In June of this year, Brand confirmed that he and his wife were expecting their third child while on “The Diary of a CEO” podcast.
“It’s taught me there is a lot more important in this world than me,” he said of fatherhood. “It taught me that love is real. It teaches you everything to become a father. All lessons are there.”
As for Perry, she and Orlando Bloom got engaged on Valentine's Day in 2019. They had planned to get married in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down their plans.
In August of 2021, the engaged couple welcomed their daughter, Daisy Dove.