From “Commie Scum” to GOP Star

For many people who have only recently begun to follow politics or know him only as Katy Perry’s ex-husband, little of this information will be shocking. Yet less a decade ago, Brand was one of the most vocal and recognizable figures on the global revolutionary left.

In 2013, he edited a special edition of the New Statesman magazine, entitled “Revolution.” The following year, he authored a non-fiction book with the same name, taking inspiration from leftist figures such as Noam Chomsky, David Graeber, and Che Guevara.

At the height of his fame, he used his platform to urge the public to rebel, to boycott the electoral system, and to call for a communist-style revolution. “The planet is being destroyed. We are creating an underclass. We’re exploiting poor people all over the world. And the genuine, legitimate problems of the people are not being addressed by our political class,” he told the BBC.

The climate emergency was once a driving force behind Brand’s politics. In the same 2013 BBC interview, he stated that our political system “shouldn’t destroy the planet,” and that “The measures that are currently being taken around climate change are indifferent, will not solve the problem.” Yet, on this issue as well, his position has undergone a transformation. Climate change denialists were a favored target on “The Trews.” But by 2023, Brand was hosting controversial climate skeptic Bjørn Lomborg on his podcast. And earlier this year, he attacked Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Allies, Accusations, and a Trial Ahead

What explains this significant shift in Brand’s political outlook? For some, the answer is obvious. Facing mounting allegations of sexual assault and rape, Brand realized his existing leftist following would reject him, so he chose to move to the United States, embrace Trump and religion, and cultivate a reactionary fan base that would have little problem with his alleged sex crimes. If this is indeed the case, Brand would be far from the first to do so. Indeed, scholars and commentators have named this well-trodden path the right-wing “grift drift.”

From 2023 onwards, Brand has faced waves of accusations of sexual misconduct, as hosts of women (including one girl aged only 16 at the time) have come forward, alleging rape and sexual assault. Only four of these allegations have so far resulted in charges. Earlier this year, the comedian and film star was charged with the rape, oral rape, sexual assault and indecent assault of four women between the years of 1999 and 2005.

Brand has vigorously denied all the allegations, insisting that his relationships were “always consensual.” “I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, a sex addict and an imbecile, but what I never was was a rapist,” he said in a video posted on his social media channels.