Russell Brand: The latest on sexual assault allegations against the comedian

There have been a flurry of charges, including sexual assault, rape and emotional abuse, against comedian and actor Russell Brand over the last few days.

The fallout for Brand has been swift, as the London police investigate him, his tour has been suspended and much of his content has been blocked or removed. By Wednesday, no less than the United Kingdom's secretary of culture, Lucy Frazer, commented on the situation.

"Those allegations are deeply shocking and it's right that the police are encouraging anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offense to come forward," Frazer said at the Royal Television Society conference in Cambridge, per Variety. "It's also right that organizations involved in his employment conduct transparent investigations into whether complaints were made or concerns raised — and what action, if any, was taken."

Here's a look at what else has happened so far.

Friday, Sept. 15

• Brand posts a video on social media in which he "absolutely" refutes allegations of sexual misconduct before they're reported.

"I've received two extremely disturbing letters, or a letter and an email, one from a mainstream media TV company, one from a newspaper, listing a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks." He says that "these allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies. And as I've written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous. Now during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely, always consensual."

It's reported that Brand, who doesn't name a specific outlet, will be the subject of the U.K. investigative show Dispatches on Saturday night. He said that he feels "attacked" and that the allegations are coordinated.

Saturday, Sept. 16

• The allegations go public.

In a joint investigation between the Times of London and TV station Channel 4's documentary team, four women allege in a newspaper story and in a 90-minute documentary that Brand sexually assaulted or raped them between 2006 and 2013. One woman said she was only 16 when she engaged in an "emotionally and sexually abusive relationship" with Brand, who was in his 30s. She described a situation where he caused her to choke when he "forced his penis down her throat." Another woman said Brand raped her at his Los Angeles home in 2012.

• Brand's talent agency cuts ties with him.

The Get Him to the Greek star's profile disappeared from the Tavistock Wood website. The company also released a statement: "Russell Brand categorically and vehemently denied the allegation made in 2020, but we now believe we were horribly misled by him," a spokesperson for the company told USA Today on Sunday. "TW has terminated all professional ties to Brand."

• The comedian performs in public.

Despite the allegations, Brand takes the stage to perform his show "Bipolarisation" at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre. He thanks his fans for their support, and the crowd of about 2,000 people give him a standing ovation, the Telegraph reported.

Sunday, Sept. 17

• London's Metropolitan Police call for potential victims of Brand to come forward.

"We are aware of media reporting of a series of allegations of sexual assault," law enforcement officials said in a statement. "We have not received any reports in relation to this. If anyone believes they have been the victim of a sexual assault, no matter how long ago, we would encourage them to contact police."

At the same time, other news organizations, including the BBC, say they are investigating Brand.

• Women's charity ends its association with Brand.

The U.K.'s Trevi Women & Children's Charity puts out a statement: "We have ended our association with Russell Brand and the Stay Free Foundation."

• Comedian London Hughes says Brand had a reputation.

Hughes recalled having signed with Brand's agent and being warned to stay away from him. "I was told unprovoked that I shouldn't sleep with him under any circumstances, as he likes to pursue women, have sex with them," she wrote on social media. "But as soon as he had sex with them, they'd made him feel sick and he didn't want to be around them anymore, so he would have them fired, or dropped from the agency… it had happened several times in the past. I was 22 at the time, did what I was told and completely avoided him."

• Interviews with women talking about him negatively resurface.

In them, Brand's ex-wife Katy Perry describes him as "very controlling" in a 2013 interview with Vogue. "I felt a lot of responsibility for it ending, but then I found out the real truth, which I can't necessarily disclose because I keep it locked in my safe for a rainy day. I let go and I was like: This isn't because of me; this is beyond me. So I have moved on from that."

Singer Dannii Minogue went further.

"He is completely crazy and a bit of a vile predator," she told the Mirror in 2006, according to the Independent. "I certainly don't think he has cured his sex addiction, that's for sure. He wouldn't take no for an answer. [...] He always goes that step too far. Never quite far enough to slap his face, but usually too far."

Meanwhile, years-old interviews with Kristen Bell, who played Brand's love interest in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, in which she says that she warned him early on not to try anything with her, resurface.

• Brand's book deal is suspended.

"These are very serious allegations and in the light of them, Bluebird has taken the decision to pause all future publishing with Russell Brand," a representative for Bluebird, an imprint of publisher Pan Macmillan, said in a statement. An updated version of the star's Recovery: Freedom From Our Addictions had been scheduled to be published in May.

• Report says Brand was dropped from Comedy Central Roast Battle because he was accused on-camera of being a "sexual predator."

He was "repeatedly" accused of being a "sexual predator" during his stint as a judge, which lasted just one season. His fellow judge Katherine Ryan is reportedly the person who put him on blast, although he comments were not included in the final edit of the show, according to a Deadline report, citing three sources.

Monday, Sept. 18

• London's Metropolitan Police receive another report of an alleged sexual assault.

"The Met received a report of a sexual assault which was alleged to have taken place in Soho in central London in 2003," a spokesperson said. Brand was not named, but authorities said they are in contact with the accuser and are "providing her with support." However, no formal investigation has been launched.

• The final shows on Brand's comedy tour, "Bipolarisation," are postponed.

Tuesday, Sept. 19

• Channel 4's Dispatches shares on X, formerly known as Twitter, several clips of Brand making inappropriate comments on his former BBC radio show. They include him advising a 15-year-old girl that she should have a sex-themed 16th birthday party, as 16 is the age of consent in the U.K. He also jokes about being indiscriminate with "the policy I use for women." He says, "Hello, there's a woman. Let's not get bogged down in things like age, race or whether or not they're awake. Just get over there, and give them the night of their lives."

• YouTube suspends ads on videos by Brand, though his channel, which has over 6.6 million subscribers, ending his ability to earn money on the platform. However, his channel remains live.

The company claims that he violated its "creator responsibility policy." A spokesperson said in a statement, "If a creator's off-platform behavior harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we take action."

• The U.K.'s Channel 4, a public broadcast channel, no longer offers entertainment with Brand.

"We have taken down content featuring Russell Brand from our streaming service while we look into this matter," a spokesperson said, per The Daily Mail. "This includes the Celebrity Bake Off episode," a popular series on which Brand competed.

• The BBC removed some of the comedian and actor's content as well.

Some programs featuring the comedian/actor on iPlayer and BBC Sounds, disappeared, as the BBC says the content "now falls below public expectations."

"The BBC does not ban or remove content when it is a matter of public record unless we have justification for doing so," a spokesperson said. "There is limited content featuring Russell Brand on iPlayer and Sounds. We’ve reviewed that content and made a considered decision to remove some of it, having assessed that it now falls below public expectations."

• Podcaster Fearne Cotton, who's friends with Brand's wife Lauren Gallacher, takes down the two episodes of her podcast Brand appears on.

• Spotify announces that Brand's content will stay up on the platform, as only content that directly violates its terms and conditions is removed.

• Acast, the producer of Brand's podcast Under the Skin, says it has turned off ads on the show, blocking him from making money from it.

Wednesday, Sept. 20

• U.K. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer talks about the Brand accusations in relation to the state of the entertainment industry.

Frazer declines to comment further on Brand's specific case, but she says that the general culture of the industry should be "synonymous with talent, opportunity and inclusivity – not the scandals of #MeToo," and she called for the leaders of it to "look hard at the cultures and processes in your own organizations and lead change, if change is needed."

Editor's note: This story was originally published on Sept. 18, 2023 at 4:50 p.m. ET and has been updated with new information.