Let’s be honest with ourselves; we knew it was only a matter of time before Katy Perry was dragged into the discourse about her ex-husband Russell Brand.
Last week, Channel 4 dropped a bombshell Dispatches investigation accusing the comedian-turned-YouTuber Russell Brand of committing sexual assault against four separate women. He denies the allegations, describing all his relationships as “consensual”.
As the documentary aired on Saturday night, ‘Russell Brand’ trended on X (formerly Twitter) – as did ‘Katy Perry’. “Why won’t Katy Perry tell the truth?” asked Piers Morgan in a now-edited column. Clips from Perry’s documentary Part of Me resurfaced on TikTok, showing the pop star convulsing with tears after Brand seemingly asked for a divorce via text. Every day, snippets from previous interviews, in which Perry “hints” at knowing about Brand’s alleged behaviour, form the basis of new features, TikTok explainers, and X threads.
Jeff Spicer
While many people have (rightly) condemned such blatant sexism, I confess that I wasn’t remotely surprised. When a famous man is publicly disgraced, it’s rarely long before the women in his life (partners, ex-partners, mothers, daughters, secretaries – you name it) are dragged into it. Did they know? Will they stand by him? Should they have known better?
At his peak, Brand was considered one of the ultimate ‘bad boys’ by the British media. Everything about him blended seamlessly into the public’s perception of how an anti-hero should look and behave, from his appearance (eyeliner, black skinny jeans, back brushed hair) to his so-called ‘womanising’ (earning The Sun‘s depressing “Shagger of the Year” award for three years running).
Like many teenagers in the Noughties, I was determined to date – and eventually tame – a ‘bad boy’.
Can you blame me? A film obsessive, I’d seen social reject Patrick (Heath Ledger) fall for Kat (Julia Stiles) in 10 Things I Hate About You; I’d cried when popular rebel Landon (Shane West) finally changed his ways for Jamie (Mandy Moore) in A Walk to Remember; and I’d dreamed of spending an all-day detention with Bender (Judd Nelson) – just as Claire (Molly Ringwald) did in The Breakfast Club.
As I watched these characters chase redemption through their relationships with women, I realised that my love was powerful enough to fix a bad man. And I couldn’t wait to find one.
I spent my formative years bouncing – quite literally – between various ‘bad boys’, AKA grown men who should have known better. All the while, I inhaled gossip magazines, TV shows, and films that reassured me of my noble quest. Russell Brand, then a mainstream comedian and TV presenter, was an exemplary case study of a famous ‘bad boy’ who was yet to be ‘tamed’.
Then, along came Katy.
Katy Perry tamed Russell Brand by making him wait for sex
Katy Perry: ‘I tame Russell Brand with my magic sex tips’
Katy Perry: ‘I’ve not tamed Russell’