British comedian and actor Russell Brand recently made headlines after he took part in a heated exchange with MSNBC political analyst John Heilemann on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.” The verbal exchange, which has been viewed over 12 million times on Twitter, centered around Brand’s criticism of MSNBC for its bias and lack of journalistic integrity.
Brand accused Heilemann of hypocrisy for attacking rival news outlets and recalled his own experience on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” in 2013. Brand said he was treated like an “extraterrestrial” by the hosts and accused them of not understanding the basic tenets of journalism. He also accused MSNBC of deliberately referring to Ivermectin, an effective medicine, as “horse medicine” and of Rachel Maddow’s false claims that the vaccine would not prevent transmission.
Heilemann defended the network by asking Brand for a “specific example” of MSNBC anchors or correspondents saying something they knew was false. To this, Brand accused MSNBC of engaging in “propagandist nut-crackery” and said bickering about which network is the worst is not going to improve the life of a single American child or the standing of America in the world.
“Bickering about which propagandists network is the worst is not going to save a single American life, not improve the life of a single American child, not going to improve America standing in the world — and the world needs a strong America, I’ll tell you that,” he said while the crowd applauded.
“So you have an obligation — a duty! — not to condemn these people.”
The exchange between Brand and Heilemann sparked a massive debate on social media, with some opposing Brand’s criticism of MSNBC while others strongly supported his stance.
Russell Brand on Bill Maher absolutely nails it:
“…an economic system in which pharmaceutical companies benefit from medical emergencies, where a military industrial complex benefits from war…you are going to generate states of perpetual crisis” pic.twitter.com/HANYX8Ucwb
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 4, 2023
