Russell Brand Interviews Westboro Baptist Church Members On His Show

Russell Brand turned the tables on a couple of Westboro Baptist Church members who he invited to his show to share their anti-gay views.

The “church,” which is known for picketing funerals of soldiers and celebrities with its virulent anti-gay messages, sent two members to Russell Brand’s show, Brand X. As The Huffington Post noted, the decision to invite the members raised eyebrows, but Brand appeared to have the entire exchange planned out.

What transpired was a bit of a surprise. Russell Brand has gotten a reputation as a funnyman and a bit of a prankster, but he instead engaged the members in what Gawker described as “a surprisingly civil discussion of faith and interpretation.”

The civil discussion didn’t last the entire interview however. LGBT website Queertynoted that Brand’s Westboro Baptist Church guests were introduced to some of Brand’s “colorful” friends:

“After claiming that Madonna, Mahatma Gandhi and “definitely” Tom Hanks are going to hell, Drain and Phelps were introduced to three of Russell’s gay pals. It’s like you can see the clenching of Phelps and Drain’s rectums just from their faces. Then when Brand tries to cozy up to them, well … there were less awkward embraces between gay 90s sitcom characters.”

The exchange with the Westboro Baptist Church showed a different side to the multi-faceted Russell Brand. Just a few days before, his charitable side was on display when he stopped to help a homeless man pick up a cart that had been knocked over, part of a string of charitable acts he’s performed for the homeless.

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