Career Timeline of Russell Brand: Major Achievements and Milestones
How Russell Brand built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Russell Brand is an English comedian, actor, podcaster, and media personality. Beginning as a stand-up and MTV presenter, he gained prominence hosting 'Big Brother's Big Mouth'. He transitioned to film, starring in comedies like 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' and 'Arthur'. Brand has released several stand-up specials, including 'Scandalous' and 'Messiah Complex'. He's also a radio host with 'The Russell Brand Show' and hosts podcasts like 'Stay Free with Russell Brand' and 'Under the Skin with Russell Brand'. Brand has received British Comedy Awards and a BAFTA nomination. More recently Brand has become known for his political commentary and activism, often promoting anti-establishment views.
2000: Hackney Empire New Act of the Year Final and Edinburgh Fringe Debut
In 2000, Russell Brand performed stand-up at the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year final and made his Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut as one-third of the stand-up show Pablo Diablo's Cryptic Triptych.
2000: MTV UK Presenting Role
In 2000, Russell Brand's first presenting role came as a video journalist on MTV UK. He presented Dancefloor Chart and hosted the tea-time request show Select.
2002: Starring in RE:Brand
In 2002, after leaving MTV, Russell Brand starred in RE:Brand, a documentary and comedy television program.
2004: Big Brother's Big Mouth Host
In 2004, Russell Brand gained a role as the host of the television show Big Brother's Big Mouth, which was a spin-off of Big Brother.
2004: Hosting Big Brother's Eforum
In 2004, Russell Brand hosted Big Brother's Eforum on E4, a sister show to Big Brother 5.
2004: First One-Man Show at Edinburgh Festival
In 2004, Russell Brand took his first one-man show, the confessional Better Now, to the Edinburgh Festival, giving an account of his heroin addiction.
2004: Best Ratings Since 2004 VMAs
Russell Brand hosted the 2009 MTV VMAs, and the ratings for the 2009 show were the best since the 2004 VMAs.
September 2006: Second Series of 1 Leicester Square
In September 2006, the second series of Russell Brand's chat show, 1 Leicester Square, began on MTV.
2006: The Russell Brand Show Launch
From 2006 to 2008, Russell Brand hosted his own radio show, The Russell Brand Show.
2006: Launch of Shame Nationwide Tour
In 2006, Russell Brand launched his first nationwide tour, Shame, drawing on embarrassing incidents in his own life and the coverage about him in the tabloid press. The show was released on DVD as Russell Brand: Live.
March 2007: Co-hosting Teenage Cancer Trust Gigs
In March 2007, Russell Brand co-hosted an evening of the Teenage Cancer Trust gigs with Noel Fielding.
July 2007: Hosting and Presenting Events
In July 2007, Russell Brand hosted the 2007 Brit Awards and presented Oasis with an award. On July 7, he presented at the UK leg of Live Earth at Wembley Stadium, London.
October 2007: Russell Brand's Ponderland Airs
On October 22, 2007, Russell Brand's Ponderland first aired on Channel 4, featuring stand-up comedy about topics like childhood and science.
December 2007: Performance for Queen Elizabeth II
In December 2007, Russell Brand performed for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip as an act in the 2007 Royal Variety Performance.
December 2007: Russell Brand On the Road Documentary
On December 12, 2007, BBC Four aired Russell Brand On the Road, a documentary presented by Brand and Matt Morgan about Jack Kerouac and his novel On the Road.
2007: First Major Film Role
In 2007, Russell Brand had his first major film role in the British comedy St Trinian's.
January 2008: Comedy Live Presents: Russell Brand and Friends Show
On January 25, 2008, Channel 4 showed Comedy Live Presents: Russell Brand and Friends, a one-off stand-up comedy show.
January 2008: Hijacking Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack
On January 8, 2008, Russell Brand "hijacked" the Big Brother house as part of the E4 show Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack.
October 2008: Second Series of Russell Brand's Ponderland
On October 30, 2008, the second series of Russell Brand's Ponderland began airing on Channel 4.
2008: Hosting the MTV Video Music Awards
In 2008, Russell Brand hosted the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), which led to controversy due to his comments on Britney Spears, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush.
2008: Starring in Forgetting Sarah Marshall
In 2008, Russell Brand starred in the Hollywood comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
2008: Comments at MTV VMAs and Comedy Live Show
Russell Brand hosted the 2008 MTV VMAs, which led to death threats and controversy. On January 25, 2008, Channel 4 showed Comedy Live Presents: Russell Brand and Friends.
March 2009: Russell Brand in New York Comedy Central Special
In March 2009, Russell Brand's special for Comedy Central, titled Russell Brand in New York, aired.
April 2009: Touring the UK, America, and Australia
From January to April 2009, Russell Brand toured the UK, America, and Australia with his show Russell Brand: Scandalous.
September 2009: Hosting the MTV VMAs
On September 13, 2009, Russell Brand returned to host the MTV VMAs at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
2009: Fundraisers for Focus 12
In 2009, Russell Brand organized three fundraisers for Focus 12 in London, Dublin, and Belfast.
2009: Release of Scandalous stand-up special
In 2009, Russell Brand released the stand-up special Scandalous.
2010: Starring in Get Him to the Greek
In 2010, Russell Brand starred in the Hollywood comedy Get Him to the Greek.
February 2011: Guest Hosting Saturday Night Live
On February 12, 2011, Russell Brand guest hosted an episode of the American sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live.
2011: Starring in Arthur
In 2011, Russell Brand starred in the Hollywood comedy Arthur.
2011: Release of the film "Arthur"
The comedy film Arthur, during the production of which an alleged assault occurred in 2010, was released in 2011.
2012: Hosting MTV Movie Awards and Brand X
In 2012, Russell Brand hosted the MTV Movie Awards and Brand X with Russell Brand, a late-night talk show on FX.
2012: Starring in Rock of Ages
In 2012, Russell Brand starred in Rock of Ages.
2012: Appearance at Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball
Russell Brand appeared in a sketch and performed stand-up at Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball in 2012 at Radio City Music Hall, reprising a role he had also performed in 2006.
September 2013: Brand's Speech at GQ Awards
In September 2013, during his acceptance speech at the GQ Awards, Russell Brand, after receiving the "Oracle" award, made a remark about Hugo Boss's history with the Gestapo and imitated the Nazi march. He was subsequently ejected from the event after GQ editor Dylan Jones confronted him, deeming the speech offensive.
October 2013: Guest-Edited New Statesman
In October 2013, Russell Brand guest-edited a special issue of the New Statesman, focusing on revolution and objecting to the destruction of Earth through exploitation and greed.
October 2013: Newsnight Interview
In October 2013, Russell Brand was interviewed by Jeremy Paxman on BBC's Newsnight where he criticized the British political system, discouraged voting, and discussed his views on revolution.
2013: Cancellation of Brand X
In 2013, Brand X with Russell Brand was cancelled after running for two seasons.
2013: Guest-Editing New Statesman
In 2013, Russell Brand guest-edited an edition of the British political weekly New Statesman and became known as a public activist and campaigner.
2013: Messiah Complex Comedy Show
In 2013, Russell Brand presented and toured his comedy show Messiah Complex, in which he humorously compared himself to figures like Gandhi, Guevara, Malcolm X, and Jesus.
2013: Release of Messiah Complex stand-up special
In 2013, Russell Brand released the stand-up special Messiah Complex.
January 2014: Cambridge Union Society Invitation and The Trews Launch
In January 2014, Russell Brand was invited to participate in an interview by the Cambridge Union Society. Also in January 2014, he launched his YouTube series The Trews: True News with Russell Brand.
June 2014: People's Assembly Against Austerity
In June 2014, Russell Brand participated in the People's Assembly Against Austerity, addressing a crowd of approximately 50,000 people and calling for a reclaiming of power from those in government.
2014: Launch of The Trews and other projects
In 2014, Russell Brand launched his political-comedy web series The Trews on YouTube, released a book entitled Revolution, and acted in the documentary The Emperor's New Clothes.
January 2015: Insulting Ed Balls on Channel 4
In January 2015, Russell Brand insulted politician Ed Balls on Channel 4's Big Fat Anniversary Quiz, leading to Balls calling Brand a "pound shop Ben Elton".
March 2015: Opening of Trew Era Cafe
In March 2015, Russell Brand announced the opening of the Trew Era Cafe in Hackney, funded by his Revolution book sales, which would employ recovering drug addicts. Also in March 2015, readers of Prospect magazine voted Brand the fourth-most influential thinker in the world.
March 2015: Release of Brand: A Second Coming
In March 2015, a biographical documentary titled Brand: A Second Coming was released.
March 2015: Brand: A Second Coming Premiere
In March 2015, the documentary film Brand: A Second Coming, reflecting on Russell Brand's shift into political activism, premiered at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas.
April 2015: The Emperor's New Clothes Premiere
In April 2015, The Emperor's New Clothes, a documentary produced by Russell Brand and directed by Michael Winterbottom, premiered internationally at the Tribeca Film Festival, examining the 2008 financial crisis and global economic inequality.
April 2015: Interviews with Political Leaders
In April 2015, eight days before the UK general election, Russell Brand published an interview with Labour leader Ed Miliband on The Trews. He also interviewed Green Party leaders and supported Caroline Lucas in Brighton.
2015: Endorsing Labour
In 2015, Russell Brand dropped his anti-voting stance and endorsed the Labour party, encouraging his fans to vote Labour, while also endorsing Jeremy Corbyn in the 2015 Labour Party leadership election.
January 2017: Announcement of Re:Birth Tour
In January 2017, Russell Brand announced his new tour Re:Birth, which was scheduled to debut in April 2017.
April 2017: Re:Birth Tour Debut
In April 2017, Russell Brand's new tour Re:Birth debuted.
2017: The Russell Brand Show
In 2017, Russell Brand hosted his own radio show, The Russell Brand Show.
December 2018: Release of Russell Brand: Re:Birth on Netflix
On December 4, 2018, Russell Brand: Re:Birth, filmed in London in April 2018, was released as a standup comedy film on Netflix.
September 2022: Move to Rumble
In September 2022, after YouTube removed one of his videos for violating its medical misinformation policy, Russell Brand moved his channel to Rumble and launched a new daily live show, Stay Free with Russell Brand.
March 2023: Criticism of Political Direction
In March 2023, Finn McRedmond of The New Statesman described Russell Brand as having melded his "trad-socialist values" with "all the suspicions and anxieties of the new American right".
September 2023: Brand postpones tour amid accusations
In September 2023, Russell Brand performed at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre and expressed gratitude for support while acknowledging limitations on what he could discuss. Later in September 2023, the remaining dates of his tour were postponed, and he was dropped by his agent, Tavistock Wood, due to accusations of being misled regarding allegations.
2023: Release of Brandemic stand-up special
In 2023, Russell Brand released the stand-up special Brandemic.
May 2024: Comedy Set for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In May 2024, Russell Brand performed a comedy set at a campaign event for presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for which he was paid around $70,000.
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