Russell Brand Falls for Hoax Saying British Sitcom Star Killed JFK
The actor published a now-deleted post on X claiming that Penelope Keith, who starred in the BBC series “The Good Life,” killed the former president.

Leon Neal/Getty Images
Conspiracy theories about President John F. Kennedy’s assassination have been circulating for over 60 years, but few have been as wild as the one comedian Russell Brand shared on X on Thursday.
In a since-deleted post, Brand quoted a fictitious document—allegedly from the FBI’s recent release of classified files about JFK—claiming British TV star Penelope Keith killed the former president.
“We are sure, without uncertainty, that the assassination of President Kennedy was NOT carried out by Mr Lee Harvey Oswald or any member of any organized crime syndicate,” the post reads.
The attached screenshot highlights a section of the document that reveals the assassin: “The lone shooter in Dallas, Texas on 22 November 1963 was Miss Penelope Keith, star of the BBC television program The Good Life.”
Russell Brand posted and then deleted a completely fake document which he thought was from the newly released JFK files and proved British actress Penelope Keith, not Lee Harvey Oswald, killed JFK. pic.twitter.com/qxL4vQxoDl
— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) March 20, 2025
Though Brand quickly took down the post, it continued to make the rounds on social media.
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“This is perhaps the funniest thing in the history of the internet,” one user commented.
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Another joked, “She killed him with that withering look she was known for, right across the pond. Deadly!”
She killed him with that withering look she was known for, right across the pond. Deadly! pic.twitter.com/l731jKnPDz
— @jaysimmo (@jaysimmo3) March 20, 2025
The Trump administration released thousands of classified documents on JFK’s assassination on Tuesday—none of which pointed to anyone other than Lee Harvey Oswald being the killer.
Keith, 84, who also starred in To The Manor Born and was made a dame in 2014, has not yet commented on the hoax.
In another post that remains on X, Brand shares another document that describes a fictitious letter John F. Kennedy Jr. sent to former President Joe Biden, which accuses Biden of being a “traitor.”
“WAIT!! Did JFK Jr. warn us that Joe Biden was a traitor to America before he was killed!?” Brand wrote.
The document is not from the FBI’s recently released trove on JFK but a separate FBI investigation into death threats against Biden.
WAIT!!
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) March 19, 2025
Did JFK Jr. warn us that Joe Biden was a traitor to America before he was killed!? pic.twitter.com/ltlV0wYnGT
In February, Brand made headlines after he was sued in the U.K. over sexual abuse allegations. He was sued for similar allegations in the U.S. late last year. Brand has denied all of the accusations.
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