When Russell left Katy
Image via WikipediaBY Adam Holz In late November, comedian and actor Russell Brand stopped by to chat with Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show. Among other things, Ellen asked him to address rumors of marital difficulties between Brand and his wife, pop star Katy Perry.I appreciated Brand's response, and we published what he said in our Dec. 5 Culture Clips feature: "There are always rumors, aren't there? In the end you have to just not engage with Internet technology, which is difficult because a lot of the nude women websites I quite enjoy. But they've had to go. I've treated the whole Internet now like it's a wicked little liar. Yeah. I am really happily married." He also added, "I'm married to Katy. Perpetually, until death do us part was the pledge."
I liked that Brand said he was happily married. I liked his willingness to admit that he had to shed some really bad habits. I liked his commitment to lifelong marriage. And I liked the reminder that not everything you see on the Internet is true. All in all, it seemed like a pretty nice quote from someone with a pretty unsavory past. (Brand is an admitted and recovering sex and drug addict).
Russell Brand (Image via RottenTomatoes.com)Barely a month later, 36-year-old Brand filed for divorce from 27-year-old Perry after just 14 months of marriage, citing "irreconcilable differences." In a statement to the Associated Press last Friday, he said, "Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage. I'll always adore her and I know we'll remain friends."Now, normally when news like this breaks, my cynical side is the first to respond with something like, "Guess the Internet wasn't the only one telling untruths." This time, however, I felt surprisingly sad. And a bit mad. But mostly sad. And I was actually taken aback by the strength of my reaction.
It's not because I'm a big fan of either entertainer. I'm not. Nor am I naïve. Celebrity marriages very rarely go the distance. Still, for some reason, I had hoped for a better outcome for Brand and Perry.
Perhaps that's because deep down I quietly wondered if some spark of Katy Perry's mostly abandoned evangelical upbringing might still be burning beneath all the makeup and glitter and success. I wondered if perhaps marriage might awaken a kind of maturity in her that we've not seen in her first two secular albums (not counting the Christian album she released as Katy Hudson at age 16).
I use the word mostly because several publicized rumors ab
Image via Wikipediaout the divorce have dealt with the faith aspect of Perry and Brand's relationship. One celebrity gossip site suggested that Perry asked Brand to legally initiate the divorce because she was concerned about her Christian parents' reaction, and she didn't want to disappoint them by filing herself. And a recent article in Us Magazine suggested that Perry didn't believe that her husband respected her parents' Christian faith. (Still other sources, of course, have speculated that the split wasn't over religious issues at all, but rather Katy's insistence on partying even as her husband stayed home to protect his sobriety.)Whatever the reasons for the couple's split, I think this sad story offers some cautionary nuggets worth pondering.
First, celebrities face the same challenges that the rest of us do when it comes to crafting a committed, faithful and enduring marriage. No matter how infatuated two people may be—and Katy and Russell seemed pretty deeply in love with each other, at least at the beginning—happily ever after takes work and compromise, sacrifice and communication. Somewhere along the way, one or more of those things apparently didn't happen in Russell and Katy's union.
Second, a celebrity breakup like this one radiates collateral cultural damage in ways that are hard to measure. Sure, we may not expect superstars entertainers to stay together long. But when they split as these two (and so many others) have done, it reinforces our culture's already low expectations when it comes to marriage. I wonder how many young fans might be thinking, "See, they're just another couple who seemed to be in love who really weren't. What's the point of marriage if you're just going to leave each other anyway?"
All that leaves me wanting to say a prayer for my own marriage, the marriages of my friends and family members, and, perhaps, even for Russell and Katy as they try to figure out what to do in the wake of their own broken vows.
