Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse – allegations he denies
Comedian and actor Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse in a Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches investigation – allegations he denies.
Four women have made allegations of sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013 while he was at the height of his fame, according to the newspaper.
The Sunday Times reports that others have made a range of accusations about Brand‘s controlling, abusive and predatory behaviour.
In an overnight video put out on YouTube, Brand denied “very serious criminal allegations” that he said would be made against him by a newspaper and TV company.
In the video, entitled “So, This is Happening”, the comedian denied the claims that he described as “a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks”.
The 48-year-old said he “absolutely refutes” the accusations that “pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream”.
“As I’ve written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous,” he said in the clip.
“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.”
He added: “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.”
Signing off the clip, he said: “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 promoting his autobiography My Booky Wook in 2009. Pic: AP
What are the details of the allegations?
According to the Sunday Times article, one of Brand’s accusers claims she was 16 and still at school when they began a relationship, having met each other while she was out shopping in central London.
Another woman claims to have been raped by Brand at his Los Angeles home.
The newspaper details claims she was treated at a rape crisis centre on the same day and sent him a text afterwards saying: “When a girl say[s] NO it means no.”
A third woman alleges he sexually assaulted her at his West Hollywood home after the pair met at Alcoholics Anonymous.
And the fourth accuser claims to have been physically and emotionally abused by him.
A female comedian, who has not been named, also recalls being “grabbed” and “bitten” in the face by Brand when they gigged together in the early 2000s.
She likens his alleged behaviour at parties to the character in the 1987 film Predator.
A comedian told the Sunday Times that Brand’s name was regularly circulated in online groups of female comics.
“I know for many, many years that women have been warning each other about Russell,” he told the paper.
On stage in 2012 Pic: AP
Brand due to perform Wembley gig
Brand worked for the BBC and Channel 4 after breaking out with stand-up performances at the Edinburgh Festival in 2000.
He hosted Big Brother spin-off show Big Brother’s Big Mouth on Channel 4 for three years from 2004, before being given slots on both BBC Radio 6 Music and Radio 2.
His time at the BBC ended in scandal in 2008 after he and presenter Jonathan Ross left a series of lewd answer phone messages for Andrew Sachs, claiming Brand had had sex with the actor’s granddaughter.
Brand and Radio 2’s controller quit, while Ross was suspended.
Read more:
Brand’s Radio X show breaks broadcasting rules
Comic weds second wife and turns ‘domestic’
Following the “Sachsgate scandal”, he moved to the US to pursue a career in Hollywood, where he starred in films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him To The Greek.
The comedian married pop star Katy Perry in 2010, having proposed to her outside the Taj Mahal, but they divorced in 2012.
He later returned to the UK where he met and married Laura Gallacher – the sister of presenter Kirsty Gallacher. They have two children and are expecting a third child.
In recent years, he has re-emerged as a prominent YouTuber. He has used his wide social media following to express conspiracy theories on the coronavirus pandemic, vaccine and the Great Reset.
He is due to perform his Russell Brand Bipolarisation live show at Wembley Park on Saturday. It is not yet clear if the gig is still going ahead.
Brand and Katy Perry married in 2010 before divorcing in 2012
BBC and Channel 4 respond to allegations
In response to the joint investigation, a BBC spokesperson said: “Russell Brand worked for a number of different organisations, of which the BBC was one.
“As is well known, Russell Brand left the BBC after a serious editorial breach in 2008 – as did the then-controller of Radio 2.
“The circumstances of the breach were reviewed in detail at the time. We hope that demonstrates that the BBC takes issues seriously and is prepared to act.
“Indeed, the BBC has, over successive years, evolved its approach to how it manages talent and how it deals with complaints or issues raised.
“We will always listen to people if they come forward with any concerns, on any issue related to any individual working at the BBC, past or present.”
Channel 4 said it was “appalled to learn of these deeply troubling allegations, including behaviour alleged to have taken place on programmes made for Channel 4 between 2004 and 2007”.
The broadcaster added: “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. We will continue to review this in light of any further information we receive, including the accounts of those affected individuals.”
Channel 4 said it would be asking the production company who made the programmes “to investigate these allegations and report their findings properly and satisfactorily to us”.
Thunderstorm warnings have been issued for large parts of the country, lasting from lunchtime until Monday night.
The Met Office says thunder and heavy downpours could cause flooding and travel problems.
Southeast England – including Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and south London – could be affected from noon, says the forecaster.
Other areas affected are mid-Wales and most of northern England, stretching up past Glasgow into southwest Scotland.
That warning is in force from 1pm – with both alerts ending at 9pm.
Pic: Met Office
Pic: Met Office
“Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures,” says the Met Office, while there is also a small chance that roads and properties could be flooded.
Bank Holiday Monday has brought a grey and cloudy start for many, with forecasts ranging from 12C (53F) in the Hebrides to 18C (64F) in northern England at 1pm.
Get the latest Sky News forecast for where you live
However, it will become warmer, brighter and drier from Tuesday with high pressure forecast for much of the UK – and it should stay that way for next weekend.
Read more from Sky News:
Woman arrested after baby has cardiac arrest at Legoland
Sunak admits Tories may not win general election
London is expected to have 23C (73F) with sunny spells next Saturday and Sunday, according to the Met Office.
Highs of 20C (68F) are forecast in Edinburgh, while Cardiff is set for sunshine and 19C (66F), and Belfast likely to struggle with cloud but still feeling warm with a maximum of 20C.
West Ham have agreed a deal in principle with Julen Lopetegui to take over from David Moyes as manager at the end of the season, Sky Sports News understands.
Lopetegui, 57, has been out of work since leaving Wolves three days before the start of the season but has stayed in England in the hope of landing another job in the Premier League.
The Spaniard, who has also managed Porto, Spain, Real Madrid and Sevilla during an illustrious coaching career, looks set to take charge at the London Stadium at the end of the season after Moyes’ expected departure.
Julen Lopetegui. File pic: PA
West Ham are ninth in the league after Sunday’s 5-0 defeat at Chelsea.
Moyes, 61, who is out of contract in the summer, has faced increased questions about his future as his team have won only one of their previous nine league games.
He said he felt “really sorry” for West Ham fans after watching his side fall to a heavy loss at Stamford Bridge.
He said: “The fans have been great but I feel bad for them.
“I don’t normally have teams who get beaten like this but we are lacking some ingredients – mental toughness and leadership to get better results, or at least not get hammered.
West Ham United manager David Moyes during the Premier League defeat at Chelsea. Pic PA
“The fans played their part and I can only say I’m really sorry for how it played out.”
Asked if he was frustrated that the club was regularly being linked with other managers, he said: “I’ll talk to the board at the end of the season. We’ll do that then.”
The Scot, whose second spell as Hammers boss began in 2019, led the club to their Premier League points total of 65 in 2021, finishing in sixth place.
The following year they finished seventh and reached the semi-finals of the Europa League.
They went one better last year, winning the Europa Conference League final, the club’s first European trophy since 1965.
In November, Lopetegui told Sky Sports News he had unfinished business in the Premier League.
He said: “It’s why I’ve said no to different countries and different situations because I would like to stay here in England. I feel like our team here is just starting and we want to achieve our dreams.
“The way the country lives football here is special – it’s the best league in the world, the most competitive league in the world, the best environment for the players, coaches and fans too.”
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Environment12 months agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports6 months agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Environment1 year agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Sports1 month agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Environment1 year agoTesla advances Powerwall pilot project with German electric company