Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse during a seven-year period, according to the results of a media investigation published on Sept 16, 2023. Photo: AFP
Comedian and actor Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and other abusive behaviour during the height of his Hollywood fame.
In a joint investigation published Saturday by the Times of London and Dispatches, a news programme on Britain's Channel 4, numerous women allege that they were sexually assaulted by Brand between 2006 and 2013, during which time he rose from eccentric British TV personality to debauched Hollywood star.
Brand preemptively denied the allegations in a video posted to his YouTube channel Friday, saying that he refuted the "very, very serious criminal allegations" about to come out against him. Brand, who has refashioned himself as an anti-establishment commentator and given a platform to conspiracy theories about vaccines and the 9/11 attacks, said he was being targeted by the "mainstream media" because of his views. (The Times of London is owned by Rupert Murdoch.)
"The relationships I had were absolutely, always consensual. I was always transparent about that then. Almost too transparent, and I'm being transparent now," he said. "To see that transparency metastasised into something criminal that I absolutely deny, makes me question: Is there another agenda at play?"
In the Times article, one woman alleges she was raped by Brand while pinned against a wall at his Los Angeles home in 2012 — a time he was focused on building his showbiz career via film roles and an FX talk show called Brand X. Medical records provided to the Times of London indicate she was treated at a rape crisis centre the next day. Images of text messages, included in the report, show that Brand sent a text message apologising for his "crazy and selfish" behaviour. Former colleagues quoted in the piece claim that Brand treated his crew members as "pimps" who helped him procure sex and that he often behaved in inappropriate ways in the workplace.
Another woman alleges that she became involved with Brand when she was 16 and he was 31, and that he referred to her as "the child" in their relationship. According to the woman, Brand reportedly forced his penis down her throat, making it difficult to breathe, and she fought him off by punching him in the stomach.
A third woman, who met Brand in Alcoholics Anonymous and later worked with him, said Brand sexually assaulted her at his West Hollywood property before a group meeting in 2013. When the woman began to tell friends what had allegedly happened, Brand reportedly threatened to take legal action against her.
The Times of London story also includes other allegations of workplace misconduct and inappropriate comments by Brand, who cultivated a lascivious comedic persona and has sought treatment for sex addiction.
A 90-minute special episode of Dispatches, called Russell Brand: In Plain Sight, aired Saturday on Channel 4 in the UK. Sharp-eyed viewers noticed a listing for a special "about Russell Brand's treatment of women" Friday, leading to online chatter.
Brand got his start in British TV and became known in the United States by playing louche rock star Aldous Snow in the 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the spinoff buddy comedy Get Him To The Greek. After a short-lived marriage to pop star Katy Perry and a failed late-night show on FX, his star dimmed and he pivoted to political activism and commentary in the UK. - Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
