More than a decade after he ended his marriage to Katy Perry via text message, comedian Russell Brand makes rare comments about the relationship.
Videos by Suggest
While appearing on The Megyn Kelly Show this week, Brand admitted he didn’t feel confident in his short-lived marriage to Perry. The exes exchanged vows in October 2010, but then he filed for divorce a little over a year later in December 2011. He sent a text to Perry on New Year’s Eve stating it was over.
The divorce was finalized in July 2012.
“I didn’t handle that marriage well,” he explained.
Russell then said he married Perry when he felt unfulfilled in his life. He thought the marriage would help his self-esteem.
“When you fall in love with someone, like, isn’t it amazing to be in love?” he asked. “Well, imagine that compounded with everyone else acting like it’s important.”
Brand further stated, “Plus, she’s a really lovely … You know what there is about her? She has an innocence. She’s a very beautiful person. She’s also incredibly driven and worked really, really hard. I saw her working really hard.”
Brand Takes Full Responsibility For the ‘Mistakes’ He Made During the Marriage
The comedian further stated that he was taking total responsibility for the mistakes he made in his marriage to the pop star.
“I wanted to grab her like this kind of, ‘There, got it,'” he continued. “I felt like I was inadequate and not enough on my own, so I saw [her as] this big, glorious thing, even though I knew her as a person, just a normal person. Who’s famous when it comes to shower time, picking your nose, scratching your ass? Everybody breaks down into mundanity and flesh.”
Repeatingly stating Perry was “really, really, really, lovely,” Brand said, “It was my fault. I pushed to get married early because I felt inadequate and insecure, and that I wasn’t enough, and that if I was married to her, I’d somehow be a better person and more important.”
He further noted that his expectation of the marriage put Perry under an “unnecessary amount of pressure and strain.”
Pointing out her age at the time, he said, “She couldn’t fulfill those obligations. She was pursuing her dream, which she successfully did, of becoming the world’s most famous pop star.”
Regarding whether the two are still in contact, Brand confirmed they haven’t spoken since he told her he wanted a divorce. However, he remains in touch with her parents.
“I stay in touch with her father, Keith, and her mother, Mary,” he added. “‘Cause they’re good Christian folks.”