Brief: Mikki Willis and Russell Brand Rewrite History - Conspirituality

Conspirituality – Brief: Mikki Willis and Russell Brand Rewrite History

Date: April 4, 2026
Hosts: Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, Julian Walker
Main Theme:
A deep-dive critique of the recent collaboration between Mikki Willis, creator of the conspiracy documentary series "Plandemic," and Russell Brand, examining their use of revisionist history, manipulative personal storytelling, and disinformation within the Wellness, New Age, and conspirituality spaces. The hosts dismantle Willis’s and Brand's narratives about COVID-19, public health, Fauci, pandemic prep, and "sovereignty," exposing their historical and scientific inaccuracies, fallacious logic, and opportunistic grifting.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Context: Revisiting the ‘Rogues Gallery’

[00:47] Julian: Notes how the episode will update listeners on early Conspirituality Podcast subjects, particularly Mikki Willis and Russell Brand, emphasizing how these figures have evolved into full-blown "MAGA Christian" and conspiracy influencers.
- “Russell Brand... now full on Maga Christian, with pending trials in England for sex crimes, hosted none other than Mickey Willis on his Rumble video show last week.”

2. Who is Mikki Willis?

[01:49] Julian: Summarizes Willis’s history:
- Ex-New Age LA filmmaker; rose to fame with "Plandemic," a widely-shared COVID conspiracy doc.
- Alleges COVID pandemic was orchestrated, claims masks are harmful, parroted by influencers like Dr. Christiane Northrup.
- Has leveraged this notoriety into more "documentaries" and even a musical, all fueling an anti-public health, pro-disinformation agenda.
[03:00] Derek: Mocks Willis’s failed musical by questioning its profitability, suggesting his subsequent supplement venture was a financial necessity:
- “I gotta question how lucrative that fucking whatever that was musical was for him. Which is probably why he had to start a supplements line…”

3. The Fauci Origin Myth & Single Cause Fallacy

[03:13] Julian: Explains Willis’s persistent personal and conspiratorial hatred of Dr. Anthony Fauci, situating it in a broader pattern of scapegoating authority figures for complex systemic problems.
- “One through line… is his hatred of Anthony Fauci… who served as the head of the NIAID from 1984 to 2022…”
[03:43] Derek: Introduces the idea of the “single cause fallacy”—the cognitive bias of blaming one entity for multifaceted problems—a trend among both anti-vax and alt-wellness communities.

4. Willis’s Emotional Origin Story Debunked

[04:37] Willis Clip: On Brand’s show, Willis claims he knew Fauci's involvement meant doom because “he killed my brother with AZT” (the first major HIV/AIDS drug), and details a dramatic personal exodus to LA as a young man (@05:47).
[05:47] Julian: Offers empathy for the grief but thoroughly dismantles the claim:
- Provides historical/scientific context: AZT was life-prolonging for AIDS patients, despite side effects; blaming Fauci is reductionist and mirrors anti-vaccine rhetoric.
- Quotes/stats from original trial: “[AZT] recipients… so dramatically out surviving those in the placebo group, it was deemed unethical to continue not providing [the drug]… 19 out of 137 in the placebo group died, but only 1 out of 145 in the AZT group.”
[08:54] Derek: Points out factual impossibility of Willis’s brother’s timeline of living “perfectly healthy” with AIDS for 8–10 years (when, pre-HAART in 1996, average expectancy was around 1 year).

5. The Cognitive Error: Correlation vs. Causation

[11:32] Co-host/Matthew: Identifies another cognitive pitfall: “There is actually a really basic cognitive error… failing to understand that correlation is not causation.”
[11:47] Julian: Emphasizes that it was AIDS—not AZT—that killed Willis’s brother, analogizing to anti-vax claims about unrelated deaths.
- “It wasn't the magic bullet, but… your brother died anyway because he had aids.”

6. Willis’s Current Conspiracy Claims and Pandemic Revisionism

[12:54] Willis Clip: Claims the Epstein files prove COVID-19 was planned “but wasn’t supposed to happen yet,” and it was triggered early due to anti-Trump efforts. Cites the Dakotas’ COVID outcomes as vindication for “sovereignty.”
[13:50] Derek/Co-hosts: Instantly debunk this by noting population density differences and state context; mock the lack of causal clarity:
- “What’s the population density of the Dakotas?... One person every 200 square miles?”
- “All you have to do to understand anything from Mickey Willis or Russell Brand is just read the transcript… try to make sense of what they're saying and see what actually holds up.”

7. The “Epstein Files” and Pandemic Planning

[15:15] Julian: Analyzes an email Willis points to as “proof” of pandemic planning; contextually, it was a standard 2015/2017 public health preparedness discussion between humanitarian and scientific orgs.
- “It has an attachment… titled ‘Geneva Meeting on Pandemics’ … ‘Please find attached a draft agenda for the meeting on preparing for pandemics. Let’s discuss next steps, for example, how to officially involve the WHO…’”
[17:32] Derek: Points out the banality—and necessity—of constant pandemic preparation among epidemiologists, satirizes how basic readiness gets reinterpreted as nefarious plotting by conspiracy theorists.

8. Next on the Grift: ‘Code of Creation’ and “World-Class Scientists”

[18:59] Derek: With heavy irony, previews Willis’s newest film, focused on LifeWave supplements and “living longer”—with a science-y veneer.
[19:43] Walkthrough of “Experts” featured in Code of Creation:
- Veda Austin: “Self-described water researcher” with no credentials, photographs water.
- Greg Braden: Ex-geologist turned quantum woo motivational speaker.
  - Julian [20:24]: “He’s one of the worst. He’s a fountain of all that stuff.”
- Dr. Georgia Perdome: Creationist with legit genetics PhD, now at Answers in Genesis (Christian fundamentalist org).
  - “Director of educational content at Answers in Genesis. You know, the Jesus road, dinosaurs people.”
- Dr. David Martin: Asset underwriter, likely present for “the biblical math part.”
- Dr. Jason Lyle: Christian astrophysicist who uses his expertise to justify creationism, writer at Creation Museum.
[21:34] Derek/Julian: Joke about needing a field trip to the Creation Museum.

9. Concluding Remarks

[21:38] Derek: Predicts a future “brief” on the inevitable pseudoscience in Willis’s upcoming film.
Advises listeners: “Check it out on Rumble or don’t and actually enjoy your life.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Derek, on reductionist scapegoating:

"It's this sort of reductionist practice that makes reality seem much simpler than it is, often in hopes that if you just defeat this one thing, all the problems will magically be solved." — [03:43]
Julian, on AZT trial results:

"19 out of the 137 in the placebo group died, but only 1 out of the 145 in the AZT group." — [07:16]
Derek, on the perils of transcript scrutiny:

"All you have to do to understand anything from Mickey Willis or Russell Brand is just read the transcript... try to make sense of what they're saying and see what actually holds up." — [14:16]
Julian, on the routine nature of pandemic planning:

“Epidemiologists are constantly preparing for pandemics... it was actually evidence of a lot of qualified government and medical professionals being aware of the dangerous potential for a pandemic like COVID-19 and trying to plan for it.” — [17:32]
Derek, on Code of Creation’s “experts”:

"She photographs water in its quote unquote state of creation… There’s no credentials needed." — [19:51]
“Greg Braden… is a fountain of all that stuff.” — [20:24]
“You know, the Jesus road, dinosaurs people. That’s where she works.” — [20:45]

Timestamps for Key Segments

[00:47] – Reunion with early Conspirituality Podcast subjects
[01:49] – Mikki Willis’ conspiracy media career background
[03:43] – The “single cause fallacy” explained
[04:37] – Willis’s AIDS/AZT/Fauci origin story (Brand interview clip)
[05:47] – Scientific/historical fact-check on AIDS and AZT
[12:54] – Willis’s claim that COVID-19 was planned, the “Epstein files” and the Dakotas
[15:15] – Actual content of the so-called “pandemic plan” emails
[18:59] – Breakdown of “Code of Creation” film and its pseudoscientific contributors

Tone & Language

Skeptical, irreverent, occasionally profane: The hosts emphasize fact-checking, critical thinking, and mock the grandiosity and fallacies of Brand/Willis’s claims with sharp humor.
Empathetic yet rigorous: Acknowledgement of Willis’s grief but clear, evidence-based debunking.
Accessible yet detailed: Clear breakdowns for lay listeners, but with ample technical and historical context.

Summary:
This episode offers a methodical, often darkly humorous takedown of Mikki Willis and Russell Brand’s attempts to rewrite public health history and market conspiracy-driven pseudo-documentaries. With skepticism and careful research, the Conspirituality hosts expose the manipulative logic, historical inaccuracies, and grift behind their narratives—reminding listeners to look beyond charisma, affect, and personal anecdote to the actual evidence.