Kathrine Frich
Donald Trump Jr. is speaking out in support of British comedian Russell Brand.
When a high-profile trial ends in a heavy prison sentence, old friends usually step back from the spotlight.
Silence is the safest choice in those moments.
Every once in a while, though, a famous ally grabs a microphone and pushes back against the courtroom verdict.
Backing a fallen star
Donald Trump Jr. is speaking out in support of British comedian Russell Brand after a major court ruling in London. According to LADbible, the 51-year-old entertainer received a sentence of 10 years and six months at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, 9 November.
Following a four-week trial that ended on Thursday, 5 November, a jury convicted Brand of raping a woman in 2009 and sexually assaulting three female television and radio staffers between 2004 and 2009, while clearing him of three other charges.
While stars like Jonathan Ross said he was “horrified” and broadcaster Vanessa Feltz recalled a “disgusting” past interview with him, the US president’s eldest son took a very different tone on Tuesday, 10 November.
Speaking on his show Triggered, Trump Jr. suggested the comedian, who grew close to him after moving to Florida and getting baptized with adventurer Bear Grylls in 2024, was targeted for his Christian and conservative views.
“He finds God, I guess, changes his ways, sees some aspects of conservative life, and talks about them, and now he’s going to spend 10 and a half years in prison for rape when no one had a problem with it in the prior 27 years,” Trump Jr. said on his broadcast.
Attacking the UK courts
During the segment, Trump Jr. also attacked the British legal system as “two-tier” and complained that prosecutors relied on “decades old allegations” and convicted Brand “with no forensic evidence, no DNA, no police report from the time.”
He pointed back to the height of Brand’s Hollywood career to question the timing of the charges.
“So, when he was, like, married to Katy Perry, he’s one of the most famous actors in the world, no one seemed to have a problem,” Trump Jr. continued on his program. “No one seemed to think he was a rapist then.”
What the judge said
Inside the London courtroom on Monday, the presiding judge offered a sharp explanation for why it took so long for the case to reach a jury. “About 20 years ago, Russell Brand, you were becoming famous.
You were clever, and in many people’s eyes, funny and charismatic. You had also become a sexual predator,” Mr Justice Bennathan told the court, adding: “Your status protected you until 2023 when journalists published allegations.”
London police also praised the women who testified after years of silence.
“Despite intense media and public scrutiny, they relived deeply personal and traumatic experiences and placed their trust in us,” Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said in a statement on Thursday. “Without their bravery, this outcome would not have been possible.”
