Russell Brand says he’s getting baptized, leaving ‘past behind’ after sexual assault allegations

Russell Brand announced earlier this week that he would be “taking the plunge” and getting baptized as it is an “opportunity to leave the past behind.”

The controversial comedian and actor posted a video on Instagram Friday to say he was cementing his Christian faith after a difficult year, during which he faced serious sexual assault accusations.

“This Sunday, I’m taking the plunge. I’m getting baptized,” he began in his video announcement.

“What’s been explained to me is, it’s an opportunity to die and be reborn. An opportunity to leave the past behind and be reborn in Christ’s name.”

Referencing a verse from the Bible, he added, “Like it says in Galatians: that you can live as an enlightened and awakened person.”

The “Rock of Ages” star said the prospect of baptism was “so inviting and beautiful.”

“People are so cynical about the increasing interest in Christianity and the return to God, but to me, it’s obvious,” he explained.

“As meaning deteriorates in the modern world, as our value systems and institutions crumble, all of us become increasingly aware that there is this eerily familiar awakening and beckoning figure that we’ve all known all of our lives, within us and around us. And for me it’s very exciting.”

The 48-year-old initially wanted to get baptized in the River Thames, but after discovering it had high levels of E. coli in it, he decided against it.

“I may be leaving behind the sins, but I might be picking up some pretty serious viruses,” he joked.

This new development comes months after the “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” star was accused of raping, sexually assaulting and abusing four women over the course of seven years.

Brand, who was married to Katy Perry from 2010 until 2012, denied the allegations that first surfaced in September 2023.

While the “Get Him to the Greek” star admitted that he was “very, very promiscuous” in his past, he said all sexual interactions he had at the time were “absolutely always consensual.”

The “Despicable Me 2” star said, “I was always transparent about that. Then, almost too transparent, and I’m being transparent about it now as well. To see that transparency metastasized into something criminal that I absolutely deny makes me question, is there another agenda at play?”

After police investigations commenced, Brand sat down for an interview with Tucker Carlson to further address the allegations.

“Attacks like this, a crisis like this – hurtful as it is to be accused of what I consider to be the most appalling crime – to be accused of this is very, very painful and very hurtful,” he said in a video shared on YouTube.

“But I am being shown that there are consequences for the rather foolish way I lived in the past. Though of course, again, to reiterate, due to the nature of the world we live in, of course I deny any allegations of the kind that have been advanced.”

At this time, nothing conclusive has come from the investigations. It’s unclear whether charges will be brought against the comedian.