If there was anyone less likely to take on the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), it would be Russell Brand. The comedian featured this week an interview with two WBC members on his talk show BrandX, where he asked the pair to explain their church's less-than-favorable opinion of homosexuality. The interview careened along under Russell's direction, with both a "Who Goes to Hell?" segment (hint: basically everyone) and a surprise visit from Russell's gay fan club--sorry, friends.
As abominable as the WBC may be, their members know how to dominate a conversation. The pair took the floor time and again with a conviction that even Russell's comedy had a hard time unraveling. What did unravel was the segment itself, where everything from the two's hate speech to the (justifiably) cold audience gave the impression of a Jerry Springer reunion episode. And whatever hope Russell had of impressing them with the number of crosses on his necklace flew out the window when he was handed his very own "Fag Pimp Brand" sign.
While a valiant effort to show the WBC's true colors, the interview proves one thing: If you're going up against the heavyweight of hate groups, come with a little more backup than Madonna's name on a cue card and your gay BFFs.
WATCH: BrandX interview with Westboro Baptist Church below:
