Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse

Four women have made damaging allegations against the actor including that he raped one and threatened her with legal action.

Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

GRAPHIC CONTENT

British actor, comedian and commentator Russell Brand has been accused of rape and sexual assault by four women.

One woman said she was 16 at the time she was in a claimed emotionally abusive relationship with Brand and likened him to a “groomer”.

The alleged crimes occurred over a seven-year period from 2006 to 2013.

None of the women have been named. London’s Metropolitan Police has said no allegations about Brand had been made to it.

Despite the damning allegations against him, Brand went ahead with his gig in Wembley Park Theatre on Saturday night local time.

During his set, he thanked the crowd for showing up and standing with him.

“I really appreciate your support. I love you,” he saidm as per The Sun.

Russell Brand leaves the theatre in northwest London after performing his comedy set. Picture: James Manning/PA Images via Getty Images

Brand faces claims about his sexual behaviour at the height of his fame. Picture: James Manning/PA Images via Getty Images

“I want to do a fantastic show for you. I’ve got a lot of things to talk to you about.

“There are obviously some things that I absolutely cannot talk about – and I appreciate that you will understand.”

He has vehemently denied the allegations. Picture: James Manning/PA Images via Getty Images

The claims were made in a joint investigation by UK newspaper the Sunday Times and Channel Four current affairs program Dispatches.

Brand, 48, got ahead of the claims taking to his YouTube channel on Friday where he denied the “very serious criminal allegations”. He said he has been promiscuous in the past but any encounters were consensual.

He added the claims were part of a “co-ordinated attack” by the media and he had witnesses whose evidence “directly contradicts the narrative”.

Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

Allegations

At the time of the alleged crimes, Brand was at the height of his fame starring in films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek as well as a presenter on British TV and radio.

One allegation said Brand had a relationship with a 16-year-old schoolgirl when he was 31. It’s alleged it was emotionally abusive relationship, he referred to her as “the child” and he once “forced his penis down her throat”, making her choke.

“Russell engaged in the behaviours of a groomer, looking back, but I didn’t even know what that was then, or what that looked like,” she told the Times.

Another woman said Brand raped her against the wall of his Los Angeles home.

He later sent her a text apologising and said what had occurred was “crazy and selfish,” and asked for forgiveness.

She replied saying “When a girl says NO it means no”. She said she went to a rape crisis centre the same day with the paper saying it had seen medial records to back this up.

A third women claimed the star sexually assaulted her, also in LA, and threatened legal action if she told anyone. The fourth alleged victim said she was “sexually assaulted” by Brand and he was “physically and emotionally abusive” towards her.

🔺 EXCLUSIVE: Russell Brand has been accused of rape and sexual assaults by women who have broken their silence on alleged attacks between 2006 and 2013

This is a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and @C4Dispatches / @Channel4News / @Channel4pic.twitter.com/gvAaHWVRT9

— The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) September 16, 2023

Staff on a TV show presented by Brand said they felt they were “working as a pimp” for the star and were asked to approach young female audience members for him to meet after filming.

The Sunday Times said it gave Brand detailed information about the allegations and eight days to respond to them.

The media outlet said Brand’s lawyers replied that the allegations were part of a “preconceived strategy aimed at damaging their client” because he was “an alternative media broadcaster competing with mainstream media”.

The Sunday Times stated Brand had not given any evidence to it to contradict the claims.

Russell Brand said in a vide that he refuted the allegations.

Brand responds

During the pandemic, Brand began engaging with conspiracy theories. In a video on Friday, he suggested there might be an “agenda” from media organisations and others to target him and the allegations were part of that.

He said the claims were “extremely egregious and aggressive attacks”.

“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,” he continued.

This is happening pic.twitter.com/N8zIKLbJN2

— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) September 15, 2023

“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. 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 metastasised into something criminal that I absolutely deny makes me question, is there another agenda at play?”

Russell Brand has increasingly aired conspiracy theories and accused media outlets of an “agenda” against him. (Photo by Mary Turner/Getty Images)

Brand said there had been “co-ordinated media attacks” against others including podcaster Joe Rogan.

“I’m aware that you guys have been saying in the comments for a while, watch out, Russell. They’re coming from you. You’re getting too close to the truth. “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.

“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.”

He concluded in his two and a half minute statement: “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 co-ordinated attack.”

One TV source told UK newspaper the Mirror: “This program has been years in the making and is being edited up to the last minute.”

Channel 4 will air a documentary – Russell Brand: In Plain Sight – on Saturday evening in the UK.