8 Comedians Who Received Serious Death Threats For Their Jokes

5. Russell Brand

There was a time when Russell Brand was known primarily for being one of the biggest walking disasters in the history of MTV VJs. Now, of course, people barely remember his stint as a video jockey, but his disaster streak is still very much alive and well. But Brand knows he's not everyone's cup of tea. And he celebrates that fact. During his 2009 stand-up special, Russell Brand in New York City, he took great pride in the amount of death threats he's received, reciting a handful of his favorites to the crowd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhSbaIq3GGY Though some of these technically stretch the definition of what a "death threat" is, since some of them merely suggest that he dies in some way that doesn't involve the sender of the letter having to actually do the deed, it's possible that he left out the direct threat. Years later, Brand received some hardcore threats demanding his dead for taking a stance against British businesses that have investments with Israeli companies, believing that they "facilitate the oppression of the people in Gaza." In his satirical web series, the Trews, Brand has consistently doubled down on his view of the Israel-Palestine conflict, taking conservative American pundits to task in the process. Brand was swiftly labeled an anti-Semite for his troubles, and felt compelled to write an op-ed piece called "Why I Oppose Anti-Semitism" in response.