What comedian Russell Brand said about getting baptized

Comedian Russell Brand was baptized on Sunday, he announced in a video shared on Instagram.

He did not say which church he joined, but he did say the baptism took place in the River Thames.

“Something occurred in the process of baptism that was incredible, overwhelming,” Brand said Monday. “I felt changed, transitioned.”

The English comedian compared the experience to his past drug use, saying that baptism gave him the mental peace he was chasing when he was getting high.

“I feel as if some new resource within me has switched on,” he said. “My resources are coming from somewhere else and someone else now.”

Russell Brand on Rumble

Brand’s baptism comes about seven months after several women came forward to accuse him of sexual abuse.

The allegations, which came from both former girlfriends and former co-workers, are being investigated by London’s Metropolitan Police, as the Deseret News previously reported.

Brand has denied the accusations, arguing that his past relationships were all consensual.

“Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” Brand said in September, as the Deseret News previously reported.

After the sexual abuse allegations came to light, YouTube barred the comedian from earning income through the site, The Christian Post reported. That led Brand to start a show on Rumble, which he has used to discuss religious issues, among other topics.

In March, Brand alluded to potential baptism plans in a video about visiting various churches, per The Christian Post.

In the new video about getting baptized, Brand said he plans to keep talking about his faith on his Rumble show.

“Talking about this stuff in the show is part of my mission, it’s part of my ministry, and it’s part of my service. This is new to me and it’s a joy to me,” he said.

Russell Brand’s baptism

Also in Monday’s video, Brand acknowledged that some people are skeptical about his baptism. He insisted that it really is meaningful to him and that he feels transformed.

“I’m learning and I will make mistakes, but this is my path now and I already feel incredibly blessed, relieved, nourished, held. It’s been an incredible experience,” he said.

He added, “I can’t tell you how happy I feel and how relieved I feel.”

In an earlier video, which Brand shared on Friday, the comedian discussed the meaning of baptism and joked that he’d be bringing more home with him from the River Thames than a new sense of peace.

“One of my concerns is I’m thinking about doing it in the River Thames, so I could be getting baptized in toxoplasmosis and E. coli based on what I’ve learned. So I may be leaving behind the sins but I might be picking up some pretty serious viruses,” he said.