Russell Brand looked in high spirits, winking and mouthing ‘I love you’ to his wife Laura, after being sentenced to 10.5 years in prison on Sunday (November 9) at London’s Southwark Crown Court.
But his first 24 hours behind bars have reportedly been nothing short of a “nightmare,” according to insiders.
He has been subjected to vulgar chants from fellow inmates, forced to eat “inedible” food, and placed in isolation over concerns for his safety.
Highlights
- Russell Brand's first 24 hours behind bars have been a "nightmare," according to prison insiders.
- Hostile chants have been hurled at Brand, forcing him to steer clear of other inmates.
- The actor is reportedly a "marked man" and has been kept in isolation due to concerns over his safety.
Now, more sources have revealed how the British actor has reacted to the circumstances, and the accounts are diverse.
“Brand looked miserable, and a little scared,” one eyewitness said.
Russell Brand has been reading the Bible and “trying not to show fear” in prison, an insider said
Sources have said that the 51-year-old comedian has been spending “hours on end” meditating and reading the Bible at HMP Wandsworth, and avoiding interaction with other inmates, many of whom have been hostile toward him.
“He’s tried hard to maintain a dignified and calm manner, though being jailed for so long is obviously going to be causing him huge distress,” one source told the Daily Mail. “He’s been trying not to show fear, so he's staying in his cell as much as he can.”
Another source revealed he has interacted with a few inmates and has “come across as very humble.”
“There has been teasing with songs and p**staking—but the ones he’s spoken to have tended to be quite sympathetic, which may have made things slightly easier for him,” the source said.
The heckling had already started at the prison gate when Brand was arrested and jailed after being found guilty on November 5. As his van pulled up at about 4:30 p.m., one woman who was walking her dog shouted, “Rot in hell… you’re a disgrace.”
It got worse as Brand set foot inside the prison, as inmates hurled insults at his face from their cell windows.
One even yelled, “No means no,” at him while he was reading the Bible aloud in the yard.
“But he took it quite calmly,” the source claimed. “Instead of rushing back inside, he put his arms behind his back and slowly walked towards the building while looking up towards the windows where the shouting was coming from to show he wasn’t rattled.”
The actor is a “marked man” at his current prison and should ideally be moved, according to a former convict
After arriving at the prison, Brand was medically examined and strip-searched before being locked in a 9.8 ft by 6.7 ft cell—a far cry from his six-bedroom home in Oxfordshire.
He was placed in the Care and Separation Unit (CSU), the solitary confinement area, also known as ‘The Block’ or ‘The Seg,’ where high-risk inmates are housed.
He was considered “too famous” for the general wing, and his personal safety was also in jeopardy.
An ex-convict at the prison, who was released last year, told The Sun that HMP Wandsworth could become an even more dangerous place for Brand.
“If Brand stays in Wandsworth, he’s in real trouble—a d**d man walking,” he said, adding the actor was a “marked man” and “needs to survive until he’s got his permanent move.”
The former prisoner described the prison as “violent, corrupt, dirty, and noisy.”
A Daily Mail report also claimed that the prison has questionable stability and hygiene issues, with prisoners staging “dirty protests” and “massive rats” leaving their droppings everywhere.
Kally Sahota, a senior solicitor, told Page Six that Brand will be at HMP Wandsworth for “the next few weeks” until he is transferred to another prison based on “security, safety, and rehabilitation needs.”
Hundreds of inmates reportedly began taunting Brand with a vulgar chant
The humiliating reception did not end once Brand had been placed in his cell.
By Saturday, November 7, inmates at HMP Wandsworth were reportedly making the comedian the target of a repeated football-style chant.
“There's a Brand new n***e on the wing! A Brand new n***e,” prisoners allegedly sang.
“Brand, you c***, you ain't so f***ing lairy now.”
According to The Mail on Sunday, hundreds of inmates joined in the taunting as word of his arrival spread through the prison.
One source described Brand as increasingly frightened and withdrawn.
“Brand only leaves his cell to collect his food at mealtimes before returning. He is going around like a shadow,” the insider said.
The same source explained that weekends at Wandsworth offered prisoners little opportunity to leave their cells, particularly because of ongoing staff shortages.
Dinner was reportedly served at approximately 4:30 pm, with inmates then locked inside until 8 a.m. the following morning.
“There is no outside exercise in the yard,” the source claimed.
“They have to get their amusement somewhere, so they've made Brand the object, with hundreds of prisoners shouting the chant.”
The taunting has reportedly remained verbal so far.
However, the source clarified that “any celebrity is a high-end target.”
"Remove the mattress as well," one user commented
