Russell Brand: I'm Getting Baptized

Months after sexual assault allegations started surfacing against Russell Brand, the 48-year-old comedian says he's giving himself a fresh start by getting baptized. Brand, who has admitted to being "very, very promiscuous" in his past but has denied having anything other than consensual sex, says in an Instagram video that he's been told baptism is "an opportunity to die and be reborn. An opportunity to leave the past behind and be reborn in Christ's name." He says in the video the event was planned for Sunday, though it's not clear whether it actually took place. Per Fox News, Brand has been publicly exploring Christianity for months now. In his video, he goes on to explain why he thinks there's been a "return to God" of late, Page Six reports.

"As meaning deteriorates in the modern world, as our value systems and institutions crumble, all of us become increasingly aware that there is this eerily familiar awakening and beckoning figure that we've all known all of our lives, within us and around us," he says. "And for me it's very exciting." As for the criminal investigation into the allegations against Brand, it's not yet clear whether any charges will follow. (More Russell Brand stories.)