Russell Brand has denied “very serious criminal allegations” that he claims will be made against him by a newspaper and TV company.
In a video posted on YouTube and X, formerly known as Twitter, titled “So, This is Happening”, the comedian denied the allegations that he described as “a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks”.
He said that while he was “very promiscuous” at the height of his career, his relationships were “always consensual”.
Brand, 48, said: “Now, this isn’t the usual type of video we make on this channel where we critique, attack and undermine the news in all its corruption because in this story, I am the news.
‘Very serious allegations that I absolutely refute’
“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, as well as some pretty stupid stuff like my community festival should be stopped, that I shouldn’t be able to attack mainstream media narratives on this channel.
“But amidst this litany of astonishing rather baroque attacks, are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute.
“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.
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“Now, during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual. I was always transparent about that then, almost too transparent, and I’m being transparent about it now as well.
“And to see that transparency metastasized into something criminal that I absolutely deny makes me question, is there another agenda at play?”
He continued: “I’m aware that you guys have been saying in the comments for a while [saying] ‘watch out, Russell. They’re coming for you, you’re getting too close to the truth, Russell Brand did not kill himself’.
“I know that a year ago there was a spate of articles – Russell Brand’s a conspiracy theorist, Russell Brand’s right wing. I’m aware of news media making phone calls, sending letters to people I know for ages and ages.
‘A serious and concerted agenda’
“It’s being clear to me, or at least it feels to me like there’s a serious and concerted agenda to control these kind of spaces and these kind of voices. And I mean, my voice along with your voice.
“I don’t mind them using my books and my stand-up to talk about my promiscuous consensual conduct in the past. What I seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations.
“Also, it’s worth mentioning that there are witnesses whose evidence directly contradicts the narrative that these two mainstream media outlets are trying to construct, apparently, in what seems to me to be a coordinated attack.
“Now, I don’t wanna get into this any further because of the serious nature of the allegations, but I feel like I’m being attacked and plainly they’re working very closely together. We are obviously going to look into this matter ’cause it’s very, very serious. In the meantime, I want you to stay close, stay awake, but more important than any of that, if you can, please stay free.”
Brand has not named the newspaper and TV company which he claims have made allegations against him.
Huw Edwards has been given a six-month jail sentence suspended for two years for accessing indecent images of children as young as seven.
The former BBC presenter had pleaded guilty to three counts of “making” indecent images of children.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London heard how Edwards paid up to £1,500 to a paedophile who sent him 41 illegal images between December 2020 and August 2021, seven of which were of the most serious type.
Of those images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine.
Prosecutor Ian Hope told the court Edwards had been assessed as posing a “medium risk of causing serious harm to children”.
Sentencing him, chief magistrate Paul Goldspring told Edwards his “reputation is now in tatters”.
The disgraced broadcaster was sent the illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp.
Williams was charged in relation to his WhatsApp chat with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences following an investigation by South Wales Police – receiving a 12-month suspended sentence.
The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with Williams telling Edwards the child was “quite young looking” and that he had more images which were illegal.
The relevant images range from the most serious category, known as category A, to the least serious, known as category C.
They include seven category A images, 12 category B images, and 22 category C images.
During his four decades at the BBC, Edwards was among the broadcasting teams covering historic events including the late Queen’s funeral in 2022 and the coronation of the King in May 2023.
Edwards also announced the late Queen’s death on the BBC in September 2022.
Last week, BBC chairman Samir Shah admitted the 63-year-old had “damaged” the reputation of the corporation.
The BBC is attempting to recover an estimated £200,000 in pay fromEdwards, who continued to be paid a salary for around five months after the corporation discovered he had been arrested in November 2023.
Edwards resigned from the BBC in April citing medical advice.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, “making” an indecent image has been broadly interpreted by the courts.
It can range from opening an attachment to an email containing an image, to accessing pornographic websites in which indecent photographs of children appear by way of an automatic “pop-up” mechanism.
In the case of Edwards, he received the illegal images as part of a WhatsApp conversation.
Edwards’ barrister Philip Evans KC said his client had not “created” the images “in the traditional sense of the word”.
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Hit British series Baby Reindeer was among the big winners at this year’s Emmy Awards – as Shogun made history and there were also big wins for The Bear and Hacks.
Richard Gadd, who created and starred in the popular but controversial drama Baby Reindeer, collected awards for writing and starring in the limited series category, while co-star Jessica Gunning was named best supporting actress.
Japanese historical drama Shogun became the first non-English language show to be named best drama, and also set a record for the most single-season Emmywins – taking home four prizes on the night to make it 18 in total, following previous gongs at the creative arts event handed out earlier this month.
The Bear picked up four awards in the comedy categories, including wins for stars Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Liza Colon-Zayas, while Hacks took the overall win for best comedy series.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Debicki also won her first Emmy for her portrayal of Diana, Princess of Wales, in fictionalised royal drama The Crown.
On stage, Gadd, 35, said it was “stuff of dreams” as he accepted awards for outstanding limited or anthology series, best writing, and lead actor for Baby Reindeer, which is said to be inspired by his real-life experiences.
The show sees his character Donny Dunn stalked by a woman called Martha. After becoming a viral hit earlier this year, the programme made international headlines after a woman claiming to be the inspiration behind Martha filed a lawsuit against Netflix, alleging the story is inaccurate.
In his acceptance speech for the writing award, Gadd said: “Ten years ago, I was down and out. I never ever thought I’d get my life together… then here I am, just over a decade later, picking up one of the biggest writing awards in television.
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“I don’t mean that to sound arrogant. I mean it as encouragement for anyone who’s going through a difficult time right now to persevere… if you’re struggling, keep going – keep going and I promise you things will be okay.”
Accepting her supporting actress prize, Gunning said she was “incredibly proud” to be part of the show. “Thank you for trusting me to be your Martha,” she said to Gadd. “I will never, ever forget her or you or this.”
This year’s Emmys ceremony, held at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, was also a huge success for Shogun. The show launched in February and is based on James Clavell’s best-selling novel, set during the 1600s.
Stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai became the first Japanese actors to win Emmys in the dramatic acting categories.
Sanada, who received a standing ovation, told the audience he was “beyond honoured”, and added: “Shogun taught me that when people work together, we can make miracles. We can create a better future together.”
A tearful Sawai, a first-time nominee, said: “I was crying before my name was announced. I’m a mess today. This to all the women who expect nothing and continue to be an example for everyone.”
Baby Reindeer and Shogun were not the only shows to receive multiple prizes, with hit series The Bear also a big winner.
In their opening monologue, father-son hosting duo Eugene and Dan Levy joked that the show, which depicts the stresses of life working in a professional kitchen and stars Jeremy Allen White as a chef running the family business after the death of his brother – would be better off categorised as a drama.
Allen White described himself as “so, so, so lucky” after picking up the Emmy for lead actor in a comedy series for his role as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto.
“This show has changed my life, it has instilled a faith that change is possible, that change is possible if you are able to reach out, you are really truly not actually alone,” he said in his acceptance speech.
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The Bear star Liza Colon-Zayas gets political
His co-stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Liza Colon-Zayas also picked up the awards for best supporting actor and actress in a comedy.
This is the second Emmys ceremony this year, after the September 2023 event was postponed to January 2024 due to the US writers’ and actors’ strikes.
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Nominees and celebrity guests hit the red carpet in style ahead of this year’s Emmy Awards.
British shows The Crown, with 18 nominations, and Baby Reindeer, with 11, were among this year’s biggest contenders, rubbing shoulders with The Bear, Shogun, Only Murders In The Building, and True Detective: Night Country.
This is the second Emmy Awards ceremony of the year, after the 2023 event was delayed to January because of the Hollywood writers’ strike.