Trigger Warning: This article includes discussion of alleged sexual assault, with details.
Bear Grylls has reacted to Russell Brand‘s guilty verdict in his London criminal trial, saying that “justice has now been served.” However, he also reflected on Brand’s 2024 baptism, saying the 51-year-old comedian’s faith had “seemed genuine” to him at the time.
Bear Grylls once called Russell Brand’s baptism a privilege
On November 5, a jury at London’s Southwark Crown Court found Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. However, the jury acquitted him of two additional rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault. Six women brought allegations against Brand. As previously reported, the allegations concerned incidents spanning 1999 to 2009.
The jury, comprising eight men and four women, found him guilty of grabbing a woman’s breasts at a Soho party in 2004, sexually assaulting another woman at radio station Choice FM in 2004 or 2005, and raping a woman at his Hampstead home in 2009. The jury also found him guilty of sexually assaulting a fourth woman during a Channel 4 production in 2009.
Reacting to the court’s verdict, Grylls posted the following message on X: “Brand’s faith seemed genuine to me at the time when I was a guest at his private baptism. I have attended a few now. Even visiting in prisons with people who have committed terrible crimes. It’s part of our calling as men and women of faith, to love and serve anyone. It is the sick that need healing.”
He concluded by saying, “Judgement is for the courts and God… I wouldn’t want to ever discourage someone’s coming to faith. It is right that justice has now been served. I can’t imagine how hard this time has been for the victims, the heroes of the day.”
Brand and Grylls first connected through Running Wild and developed a friendship that continued after filming. Grylls later attended the comedian’s baptism in the River Thames in spring 2024. Following the ceremony, Brand shared a photo on Instagram, writing, “Me, Bear Grylls, The River Thames and of course, The Holy Spirit.”
At the time, Grylls told The Daily Mail that faith and spiritual experiences are deeply personal. He also considered it a privilege to stand beside anyone seeking forgiveness and strength from above. Brand is scheduled to be sentenced on November 9.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
