The Russell Brand sex abuse scandal: What you need to know

Russell Brand is facing allegations of sexual assault, rape and emotional abuse from multiple women.

The British newspaper The times published a bombshell article about the actor and comedian, 48, on Saturday, September 16, in which four women claimed they were sexually assaulted by Brand between the years 2006 and 2013.

Prior to publication of the article – a collaboration with the Channel 4 series Shipments —Brand denied the “very serious allegations” against him in a video posted via X (formerly known as Twitter) on Saturday.

“I have received two extremely disturbing letters, or a letter and an email, one from a mainstream media TV company [and] one from a newspaper, which listed a litany of extremely blatant and aggressive attacks,” he explained, but did not elaborate on the claims.

Brand noted that his “promiscuous” past relationships were “absolutely, always consensual.” He added: “I was always transparent about that at the time – almost too transparent. And I am now also transparent about it. And to see how that transparency turned into something criminal that I absolutely deny makes me doubt myself [if] Is there another agenda at play?”

Scroll down for all the details on Russell’s ongoing sex abuse scandal:

What are the allegations against Russell Brand?

According to The Sunday times – the Time‘sister outlet – the allegations against Brand occurred between 2006 and 2013 during his time as an actor in Hollywood and as a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4. A woman, also called Alice, accused Brand of committing sexual and emotional abuse. towards her during their 2006 relationship, in which she was 16 years old and he was 30. She previously reported her claims to Brand’s agent, who put her in touch with his lawyer, who debunked her allegations.

Another woman, identified as Nadia, claims Brand raped her at his Los Angeles home in July 2012, after which she was treated at a rape crisis center. A third woman – Phoebe – also accused Brand of sexually assaulting her while she worked at his home in 2013.

After the initial article, the outlet reported that several women had emerged with new allegations against Brand, prompting an MP Caroline Nokes to call on British and American police to investigate.

“This deserves and needs a criminal investigation because for too long we have seen men – and the perpetrators of these types of crimes are almost always men – not being held accountable for their behavior and actions,” she told BBC Radio. Unpleasant Time.

London’s Metropolitan Police later revealed that they were investigating a 2003 sexual assault investigation, which was reported after the publication of The times‘ report.

Thames Valley Police announced in October 2023 that they would join the investigation after a woman came forward with “new information” about a report of “harassment and stalking”. According to the BBCThe woman previously reported her allegations several times between 2018 and 2022, but no action was taken against Brand. The comedian previously accused the woman of harassing him in 2017.

Has Russell Brand denied the allegations against him?

‘I do not mind [the media] using my books and my stand-up to talk about my past promiscuous, consensual behavior. What I seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations,” Brand noted in his denial video, which was also uploaded to his YouTube channel. “It is also worth noting that there are witnesses whose evidence directly contradicts the narratives that these two mainstream media outlets are apparently trying to construct in what appears to me to be a coordinated attack.”

He further stated that he felt like he was “being attacked” and that he and his team were investigating the claims.

Brand subtly addressed the allegations in a September 2023 livestream on the streaming platform Rumble. “It appears that seemingly independent or at least separate news organizations are working together – and I hesitate to use this word – conspiring to control global news stories in some of the most important stories in the world,” he told his fans. Deadline.

How has Russell Brand’s career been affected?

Hours after news of the misconduct scandal broke, Brand received a standing ovation during a stand-up show at London’s Troubadour Wembley Park Theater. After the performance, it was announced that the remaining dates of his ‘Bipolarization’ comedy tour had been postponed.

At the time, Deadline reported that Brand was let go from the Comedy Central series Roasted battle after one season in 2018 following accusations that he was a “sexual predator” on set. Days later, the outlet revealed that the BBC and Channel 4 had removed content featuring Brand from their platforms.

“We have reviewed the content and made a considered decision to remove some of it after concluding that the content now falls below audience expectations,” a BBC spokesperson said. Deadline on Tuesday, September 19, with the addition: “[The BBC] does not ban or remove content when it is public unless we have justification to do so.”

YouTube also took action against Brand by suspending his ability to monetize content on his channel, meaning Brand can no longer make a profit from ads in videos.

What have celebrities said about Brand’s past behavior?

Amid the scandal, several interviews surfaced in which celebrities spoke out about Brand’s past inappropriate behavior.

His ex-wife, Katya Perrytold Fashion in 2013 that she did not want to publicly describe what led to their divorce in 2011. “I felt a great responsibility for the end of it, but then I discovered the real truth, which I can’t necessarily reveal because I keep it in my safe on a rainy day,” she explained. “I let it go and thought: this isn’t because of me; this is beyond me. So I moved away from that.”

Singer Dannii Minogue – sister of pop star Kylie Minogue – called Brand a “despicable predator” after her interview on his former MTV series 1 Leicester Square. “I certainly don’t think he has been cured of his sex addiction, that’s for sure,” she said The mirror in 2006. “He didn’t take no for an answer.”

She continued: “Throughout the entire interview he kept making shocking comments that I can’t even repeat,” adding that he also made comments about her “fantastic breasts.”

How many complaints are investigated?

The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) announced this via press release in November 2023 that it had received five complaints about “inappropriate behavior” from Brand while working on his radio shows between 2006 and 2008. Two of the complaints were made between 2006 and 2008. Another complainant contacted the BBC in 2019, while two others came forward after the first allegations of sexual abuse against Brand made headlines in September 2023.

The BBC noted that the five complaints relate to ‘allegations of inappropriate workplace behaviour’, including ‘urinating into bottles in a BBC studio’ and ‘inappropriate use of BBC cars’. We weekly has contacted Brand for comment.

The BBC began an investigation into Brand’s behavior in September 2023 after news broke that several women had accused the actor of sexual assault.

Has Brand had any trouble with law enforcement?

According to the BBC And The Times of LondonBrand was reportedly interviewed at a police station in South London on November 16, 2023.

“A man in his 40s attended a police station in South London on Thursday 16 November 2023,” the Metropolitan Police said in a written statement. People on Monday, November 20. “He was interviewed under an abundance of caution by detectives in connection with three non-recent sexual offences. The investigation continues.”

If you have experienced sexual abuse, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 for confidential assistance.