A look at sexual abuse allegations against comedian Russell Brand
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English comedian and actor Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault, emotional abuse and inappropriate workplace behavior in an investigation published by The Times in London.
“Four women have alleged sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013, while he was a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4 and then an actor in Hollywood films. Others have made a range of accusations about Brand’s controlling, abusive and predatory behavior,” writes The Times.
London’s Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into the allegations against Brand in the U.K.
“Following an investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times, the Met has received a number of allegations of sexual offences in London,” the force said in a statement Monday, per CNN.
“We have also received a number of allegations of sexual offenses committed elsewhere in the country and will investigate these. The offenses are all non-recent,” the statement added.
Last week, London’s Metropolitan Police issued a statement regarding a specific alleged incident involving Brand.
“On Sunday, Sept. 17, the Met received a report of a sexual assault which was alleged to have taken place in Soho in central London in 2003,” the statement said, per CBS News. It noted that police were “in contact with the woman and will be providing her with support.”
Brand denies the allegations and claims his relationships have all been consensual.
“Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” Brand said on his YouTube channel, adding, “The relationships I had were absolutely always consensual.”
Over the past few years, reporters from the Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches say they interviewed hundreds of sources, including ex-girlfriends, comedians and former colleagues, and reviewed medical documents to support their reporting.
Brand acquired fame as a stand-up comedian, Channel 4 TV host and actor. He’s known for his roles in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek.” Most recently, Brand has maintained fame through his YouTube channel, where he shares wellness advice and social commentary.
Out of hundreds of interviews, four women chose to speak with reporters about their experiences with Brand, alleging sexual assault and rape. Several others accused the actor of bullying, sexual harassment and emotional abuse.
A look at allegations against Russell Brand
Four women have come forward alleging sexual assaults from Brand between 2006 to 2013, according to a recent joint investigation from the Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches, headlined, “Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuse.”
A woman claims Brand sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager. At 16 years old, Alice (whose name was changed to protect her identity) entered a brief relationship with Brand, then 30, per The Times. She met the actor in 2006, while he was the host of Channel 4’s “Big Brother’s Big Mouth” and a BBC radio presenter. She had never had a boyfriend before.
Alice alleges Brand approached her on the street in London, flattered her and invited her for a dinner date, during which he confirmed her age. She claims they had consensual sex.
During their brief relationship, Alice alleges Brand forced himself upon her in a sexual manner without consent. She claims she had to fight him off. After the alleged incident, Alice severed ties with Brand.
Brand’s behavior on set
Several of Brand’s former colleagues claim the comedian repeatedly behaved inappropriately on set.
Crew members who worked with Brand on Big Brother’s “EFourum” — which evolved into spinoff series “Big Brother’s Big Mouth” — claim Brand asked staff to approach young female audience members so he could talk to them after film, per The Times.
“Brand would regularly have sex with women he met at events. Two who went back to his home on separate occasions claim he became threatening and shouted at them when they refused to have intercourse with him. One left his home in tears,” reports The Times.
One showrunner, Rachel, who was 24 at the time, claims Brand flashed his genitals at her in his dressing room, per The Times.
Helen Berger, who worked as Brand’s personal assistant in 2006, claims she told one of Brand’s managers she had a girlfriend during the job interview.
“The manager later told her that her being gay was seen as a ‘plus’ for the job. She believes the manager ‘wanted to make sure that I would be safe. He just wanted a purely platonic situation,’” according to The Times.
On one occasion, Berger saw Brand showing intimate photos of women to his friends.
Russell Brand responds to allegations
On Friday, one day before The Times exposé was published, Brand responded to the allegations in a video posted to his YouTube channel.
Brand claim he received a letter and email from a TV company and a newspaper “listing a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks as well as some pretty stupid stuff.”
“Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” Brand said in the video.
He continued, “I was very, very promiscuous. Now during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual. I was always transparent about that then. Almost too transparent.”
“What I seriously refute are these very, very serious, criminal allegations,” Brand said.
Channel 4 responds to Russell Brand allegations
Brand was a presenter for Channel 4 between 2004 and 2007. Channel 4 has responded to the recent allegations against Brand.
“Channel 4 is appalled to learn of these deeply troubling allegations including behavior alleged to have taken place on programs made for Channel 4 between 2004 and 2007. We are determined to understand the full nature of what went on. We have carried out extensive document searches and have found no evidence to suggest the alleged incidents were brought to the attention of Channel 4,” the statement read, per The Times.
“We will continue to review this in light of any further information we receive, including the accounts of those affected individuals. We will be asking the production company who produced the programs for Channel 4 to investigate these allegations and report their findings properly and satisfactorily to us.”
Is Russell Brand canceled?
Brand has already been dropped by several companies. Here is a growing list of everything Brand has been dropped from.
His agency: Tavistock Wood Management Agency announced that it “terminated all professional ties to Brand” the day after the investigation was published, per Vulture.
BBC: The British broadcaster has removed programs featuring Brand from its streamer iPlayer and radio service Sounds. A spokesperson said BBC “made a considered decision” to remove Brand’s content, which now “falls below public expectations,” per Variety.
His book publisher: Bluebird, an imprint of U.K. publisher Pan MacMillan, decided to “pause all future publishing with Russell Brand” following recent allegations, per The Bookseller. “ These are very serious allegations,” the publisher said.
Trevi: Brand began working with the women’s charity, Trevi, in 2022. This week, Trevi announced via Instagram it decided to sever ties with the actor. “We always prioritize supporting women affected by violence and abuse and empower them to live without violence and fear,” Trevi wrote on Instagram.
YouTube: The platform suspended Brand from making money through his YouTube videos, per The New York Times.
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