Watch: Russell Brand Makes Rare Comments About Katy Perry Divorce
Russell Brand will never be forgetting Katy Perry.
In fact, when the 49-year-old looks back at his two-year marriage to the “Dark Horse” singer, it is not with animosity.
“What can I tell you is, when I was married to Katy Perry, she’s like a—not entirely normal, because she’s an extraordinary, massive star—but she’s not weird or off key,” Russell said during his podcast Stay Free with Russell Brand April 3. “And wasn’t involved in anything nefarious, as far as I could tell.”
He continued, “The reasons that a marriage didn’t work are the normal human reasons marriages don’t work, and I have nothing but respect for her.”
The Get Him to the Greek star did also note they had their differences.
“I obviously disagree with her political views,” Russell added, “but I probably disagree with some of my wife’s political views, my beloved wife, Laura Brand’s political views. So, you know, you always disagree with people, don’t ya?”
Since their 2012 split, both Russell and Katy—who shares daughter Daisy Dove, 4, with fiancé Orlando Bloom—have made the rare comment about their brief time together.
For his part, Russell has previously addressed being married to someone whose fame eclipsed his own.
“Some aspects of it were amazing—she’s an amazing person,” Brand shared during his appearance on the Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge in 2023. “It was kind of incredible to live for a moment in that eye of a cyclone type aspect of fame.”
Yet, he also acknowledged the relationship was both hot and cold.
“Aside from my feelings of affection for Katy, it’s a time that I remember as being a little bit chaotic and a bit, for me, I’ll speak for myself, a little disconnected,” he added. “Life humbles us and teaches us and the journey is not always easy.”
Katy, meanwhile, has also alluded to a certain level of disarray during that period of her life.
“I was having great success at 23, 24 and 25 and then I met someone that was interesting and stimulating,” she shared on 60 Minutes Australia in 2020. “It was just like a tornado, it was everything happening at once.”
She noted she has “always resonated with friction and resistance and challenges.”
For more Hollywood exes you may have forgotten about, keep reading.
In his memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry opened up about his two-month ’90s romance with the Oscar winner, which began after Roberts agreed to guest star on Friends under one condition.
Perry wrote that the Pretty Woman actress “would only do the show if she could be in my story line,” adding that he “had to woo her.” To do so, he sent Roberts three dozen roses and a note that read, “The only thing more exciting than the prospect of you doing the show is that I finally have an excuse to send you flowers.”
But their romance was ultimately shortlived because “dating Julia Roberts had been too much for me,” Perry admitted. “I had been constantly certain that she was going to break up with me. Why would she not? I was not enough; I could never be enough; I was broken, bent, unlovable. So instead of facing the inevitable agony of losing her, I broke up with the beautiful and brilliant Julia Roberts.”
We have Drew Barrymore‘s 2002 birthday bash to thank for this unlikely celeb pairing. The Canadian stars even got engaged two years later, but called it quits in early 2007.
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During their Gilmore Girls days, the co-stars struck up an offscreen romance between 2002-2006. The pair even discussed marriage at one point, with Bledel telling People, “I think everybody who has been dating for more than a couple of years probably talks about it at some point. It’s a fun thing for us to talk about, but that’s it.”
The Devil Wears Prada alum dated the pop singer for three years up until 2008. Seven years later, Bublé denied rumors that a cheating scandal was to blame for their split.
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The E! reality star dated the rapper for a brief period of time in 2006.
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The That ’70s Show actress dated the former child star for almost a decade up until 2011.
Their 2000 split caused major tabloid controversy, with Heche going on to marry Coleman Laffoon one year later.
Young love at its finest! The then-rising stars dated from 2001-2006.
Rumor has it that the Dead to Me star ditched her date to the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards, who just so happened to be the one and only Mr Pitt.
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The Bleachers singer romanced the Black Widow actress during their high school days, even attending prom together.
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The New York Yankees star had the A-lister cheering him on from the stands for several months in 2008.
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There’s no question the former baseball pro has quite the dating history, which includes a one-year relationship with the Hollywood actress.
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The A-listers struck up a two-year relationship after working together on the 2007 drama Rendition.
The Iron Man star’s substance abuse issues plagued much of their highly-publicized relationship, which spanned 1984-1991.
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The hip-hop artist and actress sparked romance rumors after working on the 2018 thriller The Tale, but Common would later describe their relationship as strictly platonic.
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Quinto and Groff dated a few years before they broke up in mid-2013, but remain friendly to this day.
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After meeting on set of Felicity, the actors tied the knot in 2000. Three years later, they separated.
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Two of a kind? The “Material Girl” songstress briefly dated the former NBA star in 1994.
These two became the subject of romance rumors after co-starring in A Time to Kill, which ultimately turned into a two-year relationship.
Asked by Cosmopolitan in 2003 how they managed to stay friends, Bullock said, “It’s the work we both put in. There’s a great amount of respect and love. I feel very cared for by Matthew. No matter where he is in his life or where I am in mine—he could be married—I know we would stay close.”
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2001’s Vanilla Sky brought the A-listers together for a three-year relationship. Cruz’s rep denied that Scientology played a role in the breakup, saying that the actress, while not a Scientologist, had found the church courses she took “beneficial.”
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The singer and actress called off their engagement in 2003, but the universe brought them back together when Kidman co-starred in Big Little Lies alongside Kravitz’s daughter, Zoë Kravitz.
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