Russell Brand is not here to talk about his rent, mate!
He did, however, want to speak up on behalf of East London residents of the New Era estate. He joined the tenants, currently facing eviction (in the form of steep rent increases) in their Downing Street protest, but when Channel 4 reporter Paraic O'Brien questioned Brand about his own living situation and finances, he snapped!
The Irish journalist suggested to Brand that "part of the problem [leading to the rent increase] is the super-rich buying property in London," then immediately asked the comedian, "How much did you pay for your place?"
"It's rented," Brand fired back, not missing a beat.
As he began to make his next point, O'Brien chimed in, asking, "What kind of rent do you pay?"
"I'm not interested in talking to you about my rent, mate," he replied. "I'm here to support a very, very important campaign, and you as a member of the media have an important duty to help represent these people."
O'Brien continued to press the matter, but Brand wouldn't budge. "Blessedly, I can afford my rent," he said, "and I'm standing up for people who cannot."
He was then joined by a protestor, a woman who defended Brand's attaching himself to the cause and raising awareness for the tenants' plight. The Get Him to the Greek star nodded in agreement with the protestor's points, then told the reporter, "It's snides like you, mate, that undermine it [their message]. You're a snide!"
In a YouTube video posted after the fact, Brand admitted to having lost his temper. "I'm so emotional. Really, I shouldn't be allowed on television," he quipped. "I'm so easily wound up!"
The journalist reacted to his row with Brand in a series of tweets:
1/3 Few thoughts re tonight's #NewEraEstate report:
Do I think that rich people aren't entitled to campaign/care?
Of course not.
? Paraic O'Brien (@paraicobrien) December 1, 20142/3 Do I think I did justice to the #NewEraEstate campaign & bigger issue in 3mins of vaguely watchable TV?
Yes
? Paraic O'Brien (@paraicobrien) December 1, 20143/3 Is it my job to test tension between private circumstances & publicly held views of celebrities?
Yes
? Paraic O'Brien (@paraicobrien) December 1, 2014Finally, don't mean to sound defensive & glad of a debate. Housing, one of the big touchstone issues that we're not talking about enough
? Paraic O'Brien (@paraicobrien) December 1, 2014The next morning, O'Brien added the following tweet:
Holy God. Reading my timeline from overnight. Looks like come the revolution, we 'snides' are totally f*#ked : )
? Paraic O'Brien (@paraicobrien) December 2, 2014