Martina Navratilova drops 3-word reaction to controversial actor Russell Brand claiming 'Jesus redeemed' him after 'prostituting women’

Martina Navratilova has arguably been one of the best tennis players of all time, winning 18 Grand Slam singles titles. On Monday, December 9, the former World No. 1 criticized British celebrity Russell Brand over his claims that ‘Jesus redeemed’ him.

Brand rose to fame in the early 2000s as a stand-up comedian and also found success as an actor, starring in movies like ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ and ‘Get Him to the Greek’. However, in recent years, multiple women publicly accused the celebrity of sexual assault as well as sexual and emotional abuse.

A few days ago, on December 6, Russell Brand posted a video of himself speaking about his controversial past on X (formerly Twitter), writing,

“I’ve paid for sex, and I’ve prostituted women before. Jesus redeemed me.”

Reacting to this, an X user wrote,

“But did he ‘redeem’ you for ‘allegedly’ grooming and sexually abusing a child + raping, sexual assaulting, and emotionally abusing multiple women?”

Joining into the conversation, Martina Navratilova reacted with a three-word remark, writing:

“What an egomaniac.”

The British comedian and actor has become a controversial figure in recent years after he was reportedly accused of promoting 'COVID denialism' and conspiracy theories in 2020.

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Martina Navratilova hits out at Russell Brand’s defense against sexual abuse allegations

Martina Navratilova speaks out against Russell Brand (Image Source: Getty)

This isn't the first time Martina Navratilova has spoken out against Russell Brand. In September 2023, four women alleged that Brand assaulted them, according to an investigation conducted by The Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4 Dispatches. As reported by Huff Post, these alleged assaults took place during the years 2006-2013.

In response, Brand shared a lengthy video denying the allegations. He said that he was “very, very promiscuous” at a certain point in his life, but his relationships were consensual.

“Now during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual. I was always transparent about that then, almost too transparent, and I’m being transparent about it now as well,” Russell said.

The Brit went on to suggest that he was the victim of a “coordinated attack” by the media. Reacting to this, Navratilova wrote on X,

“So Brand is the victim??? 🤷🏼‍♀️.”

Martina Navratilova enjoyed a phenomenal career in the courts. She rose to fame in the early 1980s and would dominate the tour. In the three decades she was active, the Czech-American player clinched 18 singles Grand Slam titles, 31 women’s doubles Grand Slam, and 10 mixed doubles Grand Slam titles.