A 2013 photoshoot for the New Statesman featured comedian Russell Brand, who has since faced allegations of rape, cast as Jesus Christ in a recreation of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper." Brand was guest editing the magazine at the time.
In the image, Brand is illuminated and depicted as Christ, with the magazine's then-editor Jason Cowley to his left and then-deputy editor Helen Lewis to his right. Jemima Khan, who was an associate editor and had a relationship with Brand around that period, is pictured at the far end of the table. Brand had stated that he accepted the editing role because "it was a beautiful woman asking me."
Brand's opening piece for the issue, titled "Revolution of Consciousness," contained references such as a "lilo of thighs in an ocean filled with honey" and an assertion that he "bowed [to] no one in my appreciation of female beauty."
The photograph has resurfaced amid ongoing scrutiny of Brand's past statements and public image. Writer Kate Maltby reportedly shared the picture, claiming it had been removed from the internet and that she was advised not to criticize Brand's tenure at the New Statesman to secure future commissions from the publication.