Russell Brand has apologised after coming in for severe criticism when he tweeted a journalist's mobile phone number to his 8.7 million followers.
The original tweet showed the business card of Daily Mail reporter Neil Sears who was apparently attempting to get in touch with Brand.
The comedian and activists claims the card was posted through the letterbox of a family member.
An immediate backlash began on Twitter...
Brand has been embroiled in a media storm over tax affairs over the few days.
Last Monday he was questioned by Channel 4 about the price of his house while attending a demonstration at Downing Street about affordable housing.
During a hostile interview Brand called the reporter a "snide".
He added: "Snides like you undermine it…"
The Sun then proceeded to launch a two-day campaign against Brand calling him a hypocrite and - bizarrely - compared him to a Brussels sprout.
MailOnline columnist Piers Morgan strongly backed the red top's treatment of the comedian in a scathing article, calling the activist a "revolting hypocrite" and comparing him to "sex maniac" Bill Cosby.
But Russell has hit back at his critics.
Responding to Friday’s story, Brand launched an extraordinary attack on the The Sun and its Antipodean owner, Rupert Murdoch, over its pretense to represent Britain’s working class.
“Why is The Sun so keen to prevent ordinary working people from having a voice?” he said on his online news show The Trews.
“They know if they attack me, the issues don't get discussed. The issues are big companies are avoiding tax while ordinary people are getting shafted. The Sun says it’s the paper of the people, your Sun, Britain’s Sun - but it isn’t.
"It’s the paper of corporate Britain, of corporate America; it’s the paper of crushing ordinary working people, of disparaging and criticising people when they’re suffering the most. Victimising us, turning ordinary working people against on another.
"It’s about exploitation of ordinary working people, creating sensationalism whilst ignoring the people it’s supposed to help."