And it was not just Mr Miliband who was impressed. Brand earned particular praise from Andy Burnham, when the now-Prime Minister described a 2014 piece on Twitter, now X, as “extraordinary”.
He later encouraged Brand to “keep going” after an apparent “media mission to discredit” him.
In 2023, following the allegations about Brand, Mr Miliband said: “Of course, knowing what I know now – and I was not aware of these allegations at the time about Russell Brand – I wouldn’t have done that interview and I regret doing it.”
Interestingly, he added: “In that era – which was not that long ago – people like Russell Brand were given too much latitude, because he had done bad things previously, and I think all of us need to reflect on that.”
The Guardian’s George Monbiot nominated the now-convicted rapist for his “hero of the year” in 2014, billing him as “the best thing that has happened to the Left in years”.
He was even invited as a contributor to Mr Corbyn’s poetry anthology, Poetry For The Many.