In his ongoing spat with Fox News personalities, British comedian Russell Brand risked arrest to seek entrance into the cable news network’s New York headquarters to address Sean Hannity, who had cancelled a scheduled appearance by Brand on his Fox show.
During the latest episode of ‘The Trews’ - Brand’s webcast that has become his vehicle for criticizing the likes of Hannity and fellow Fox News host Bill O’Reilly for content on their respective shows - the British comedian started by excoriating O’Reilly for “helping us become more Islamophobic.”
Brand then played a clip of O’Reilly’s show, in which the host claimed 35 nations are governed by Sharia Law which, he said, was “controversial, to say the least.”
“No, the least you could say, Bill, would be nothing at all,” Brand replied, “and the world would be a better place.”
Brand went on to examine how O’Reilly was deceptively building a case to support his own bias against Islam, when security outside Fox News’ headquarters approached the comedian.
“Excuse me,” the guard said. “You can’t film here! This is private property!”
“Whose property is it?” Brand responded.
“The building’s,” the guard said.
“Who does the building belong to?” Brand asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” he’s told by the guard.
“It does matter,” Brand answered, moving back to the front of the building. “I’ll just stay here then.”
The guard then threatened to arrest Brand. Another security guard then told Brand the property “belongs to the building.”
Brand is then shown walking into the building, where another guard tells him he “cannot stay on the property and film anything.”
“Can I have a tour?” Brand then asked.
“Are you serious?” the guard said. “You got to wait outside.”
Brand eventually left, but not before telling a receptionist at the building that he was “booked onto Sean Hannity’s show. And then it was cancelled. Can I come up, have a look around, maybe have a look at the studio, touch some stuff, maybe meet some people from the Hannity show?”
She refused, prompting Brand to add “tell Sean Hannity I came by to have a chat to him.”