Katy Perry’s description of Russell Brand as “very controlling” is receiving renewed attention after her former husband was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison.
Brand, 51, received the sentence at London’s Southwark Crown Court on November 9. The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that his convictions concerned crimes against four women committed between 2004 and 2009.
Perry, now 42, made her comments in 2013 while discussing the difficulties of balancing their marriage with her music career. She also spoke about how her understanding of their separation had changed.
Us Weekly and other outlets have revisited those remarks following the verdict.
Perry Said Brand Struggled With Her Being in Charge on Tour
Speaking with Vicki Woods for Vogue, Perry recalled that Brand had initially seemed to want an equal partner. She felt that became harder for him to accept once they were together.
“He didn’t like the atmosphere of me being the boss on tour,” she said, describing his response as hurtful during her California Dreams Tour.
She also remembered surprising him at a comedy performance and discovering that he was making jokes about her without realizing she was in the audience. Perry acknowledged spending considerable time away for work, but said she repeatedly invited him along and tried to return home whenever possible.
After the separation, she initially blamed herself. Learning what she called the “real truth” helped her stop accepting all the responsibility, although she declined to explain what she meant.
A 2010 Interview Shows Brand Holding Up an Obey Badge
Moment Russell Brand flashes card saying ‘obey’ to Katy Perry on Oscars red carpet after she disagrees with him – as she prepares to ‘reveal secrets about her “dark marriage” to convicted rapist’ https://t.co/VfxXuyWZTz
— That’s The Badger! (@Thatsthebad) November 9, 2026
The recording comes from the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, where the British morning program GMTV interviewed the pair several months before their wedding.
A reporter asked Brand about the Academy Awards ceremony, prompting Perry to challenge whether he had watched it. He insisted that he had, while she continued questioning his account.
During the exchange, Brand told Perry not to swear and held up a small badge reading “Obey.” As The Independent reported, the interviewer later asked Perry how she dealt with him. She called him hilarious before Brand began leading her away.
The Documentary Captured Marital Strain Before Their Divorce
Perry and Brand married in India on October 23, 2010. He filed for divorce in December 2011, approximately 14 months later. Perry subsequently told Vogue that he informed her of his decision by text on December 31.
The 2012 documentary Katy Perry: Part of Me followed her touring schedule as the relationship deteriorated. In one scene, she cried backstage before a September 2011 concert in São Paulo, with members of her team comforting her as she prepared to perform. That performance preceded the text message she later described.
Perry eventually went onstage despite her distress. Elsewhere in the film, she reflected on her expectation that a supportive marriage and an ambitious career could coexist. Their divorce became final in July 2012.
During an August 2020 appearance on 60 Minutes Australia, she compared the fast-moving relationship to a tornado. As RTÉ reported, she recalled believing that working through friction could create something worthwhile, before the breakup changed her idealistic view of relationships.
Brand Later Said He Had Nothing but Respect for Perry
Watch Russell Brand discuss his former marriage in April 2025
Brand discussed the relationship on Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge in 2023, recalling positive experiences while describing the surrounding celebrity attention as chaotic.
He returned to the subject on the April 3, 2025, episode of Stay Free with Russell Brand. According to iHeartRadio, he attributed the split to ordinary personal reasons and said he continued to respect Perry.
He acknowledged their political differences but suggested that disagreements were common within marriages. In the accompanying X post, he added that his daughters enjoyed Perry’s music.