Piers Morgan ‘played blinder’ during excruciatingly awkward Russell Brand interview moment

Warning: This article contains discussion of rape and sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.

An awkward clip from Piers Morgan's interview with Russell Brand has resurfaced in the wake of the comedian's rape and sexual assault conviction.

Brand faces a 'significant custodial sentence' after being found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault at a London court yesterday (5 November).

After strongly denying all seven charges against him, Brand has been remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing, which is scheduled to take place on Monday (9 November).

Following the news of Brand's conviction, an awkward interaction between the 51-year-old and Morgan has resurfaced online.

Captured during an April 2026 interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Brand was filmed fumbling through his Bible when challenged about his newfound Christianity.

After being asked by Morgan to read out the passage he was looking at while in court, Brand mutters to himself and flips back and forth between pages for close to two minutes while Morgan watches on quietly.

Brand then claims that I can't recall the 'exact verse I had that day' before reading out a passage from Isaiah 12, which he deems 'good enough'.

Viewers on social media have since praised Morgan for his silence in the clip, claiming the 61-year-old 'played a blinder' in exposing the disgraced comedian and his rebranding as a Christian influencer.

"I’m not a real fan of Piers Morgan, but he played a blinder here. Just sat back and let #Brand hang himself," read one reply to the clip.

"Piers’ finest hour. Not interrupting him was the best thing about this video; he basically watched him sink," penned a second, adding that the moment would be 'used in broadcast/interview training classes in the future.'

"If Piers had given him a whole day, he still wouldn’t have found that passage," a third person added, while a fourth noted: "Best thing Morgan did was let him keep searching and not intervene."

Morgan later reflected on the clip during an interview with the BBC that he was taken aback by how viral the moment became.

I don't think I've actually ever had any interview clip that has provoked so many memes on the global internet as this one has," he said.

While Morgan has not commented on Brand's conviction itself, the journalist has since reacted to the clip doing the rounds online again, writing on X: "I remember thinking at the time that if he was this fake about his supposed devotion to the Bible, what else could we believe?"

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.