Katy Perry’s ‘Controlling’ Comments on Russell Brand Resurface After Sentence
Katy Perry’s 2013 comments about her marriage to Russell Brand are drawing renewed attention after he was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison. Perry described tensions over her touring career and said she initially blamed herself after their separation.
Katy Perry once called Russell Brand “very controlling” in 2013, and her comments have resurfaced after the comedian was sentenced at London’s Southwark Crown Court on November 9. Brand received 10 years and six months in prison for crimes against four women committed between 2004 and 2009, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Perry made the remarks while discussing the strain of balancing her marriage with her music career. She recalled that Brand had seemed to want an equal partner at first, but that her role as the boss on tour became difficult for him.
“He didn't like the atmosphere of me being the boss on tour,” Perry said in an interview with Vogue, describing his response during her California Dreams Tour as hurtful.
Perry recalled tensions during the tour
Perry said she spent considerable time away for work, but repeatedly invited Brand to join her and tried to return home whenever possible. She also described attending one of his comedy performances as a surprise and realizing he was making jokes about her without knowing she was in the audience.
After they separated, Perry initially blamed herself. She said learning what she called the “real truth” helped her stop taking all the responsibility, but did not explain what she meant by the phrase.
The couple married in India on October 23, 2010. Brand filed for divorce in December 2011, and Perry later told Vogue that he informed her of his decision by text on December 31. Their divorce became final in July 2012.
Footage and documentary revisited
A 2010 interview at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party showed another exchange between the pair, several months before their wedding. When a reporter asked Brand about the Academy Awards ceremony, Perry challenged whether he had watched it.
Brand told Perry not to swear and held up a badge reading “Obey.” Asked by the interviewer how she dealt with him, Perry called him hilarious before Brand began leading her away.
The 2012 documentary Katy Perry: Part of Me followed Perry on tour as the marriage deteriorated. In one scene, she cried backstage before a concert in São Paulo in September 2011 while members of her team comforted her. She went onstage despite her distress.
Brand later spoke about the relationship in a 2023 appearance on Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge. On the April 3, 2025, episode of Stay Free with Russell Brand, he described the split as stemming from ordinary personal reasons and said he continued to respect Perry.
