X-rated joke proves that Russell Brand was always vile

Russell Brand denies claims of rape and sexual harassment but a resurfaced video shows that his behaviour was always disgusting. Warning: Graphic

Riah Matthews

4 min read

September 18, 2023 - 4:58PM

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Warning: Graphic

It’s 2006, and comedian Russell Brand is on stage talking about oral sex.

“I like them blow jobs, right, where it goes in their neck a little bit,” he says, before adding, “I wouldn’t suggest it,” as the audience laughs along.

Then he adds: “Them blow jobs where mascara runs a little bit.”

A vile joke then and a vile joke now, but it takes a more sinister turn when you consider what one of Brand’s sexual assault accusers says in a new documentary.

Alice*, who was just 16 when she had a relationship with 30-year-old Brand, said:

“I was sat up in the bed, up against the headboard, and he forced his penis down my throat, and I couldn’t breathe, he was just choking me. I was crying and he said, ‘Oh I only wanted to see your mascara run anyway’.”

Russell Brand telling a vile blow job joke on stage. Picture: Channel 4

The words have taken on a sinister meaning. Picture: Channel 4

Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment by Alice and three other women who’ve come forward to share their harrowing stories. The assaults are alleged to have happened from 2006 to 2013 when Brand was at the height of his fame.

They describe a man who doesn’t stop when they say no to sex and was “emotionally controlling and abusive”.

Brand vehemently denies the claims and has accused Channel 4’s Dispatches and the Sunday Times, who’ve conducted a year-long investigation into his behaviour, of a “co-ordinated attack” against him.

“These allegations pertain to a time when I was 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,” he said in a statement.

“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 am being transparent about it now as well.”

Since the allegations have come to light, clips of Brand have resurfaced where he acts like a man without sexual boundaries and with no respect for women.

In 2006, Aussie singer Dannii Minogue labelled him a “predator” after she appeared on his TV show.

“He is completely crazy and a bit of a vile predator,” Minogue said. “I certainly don’t think he has cured his sex addiction, that’s for sure. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

In 2012, he was interviewed by Australian journalist Liz Hayes and he grabbed her and kissed her on the lips as she tried to pull away, as what appeared to be his entourage watched on.

Then he said: “How can I undo your bra? Just like this …” as he put his arm on her back.

Russell Brand forcing a kiss upon journalist Liz Hayes in 2012. Picture: Channel 9

Yet, Brand’s star just kept on rising.

Instead of harming his career, this behaviour elevated Brand to a status that saw him go from a presenter on MTV UK in 2004 to starring in Hollywood movies, such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, by 2007. He was selling out comedy shows, lauded by the BBC and given a column by The Guardian.

His acceptance into mainstream media (a media he now thinks is conspiring against him) was swift and lucrative, despite all the evidence pointing to him being a problematic character.

How did a man who behaved in this way become so adored?

Brand isn’t an example of a supposed ‘good guy’ hiding his true self behind a wholesome facade. These clips and testimonies show that Russell Brand wasn’t pretending not to be a sexual predator. He was behaving this way in public – on camera – and the world was lapping it up.

Russell Brand denies all accusation of rape and sexual assault levelled against him. Picture: YouTube

The Dispatches and Sunday Times investigations discovered that complaints about Brand were made to the then controller of BBC Radio 2 (where Brand had a radio show). Indeed, in December 2007, Brand urinated into a bottle “in full view of everyone” in the BBC Radio 2 studio and hurled objects “in fits of rage”. The BBC is said to now be “urgently” looking into the claims made against Brand.

Brand’s behaviour doesn’t only reflect badly on him, but also on an industry and society that rewarded his lewd behaviour. And this wasn’t happening decades ago when “things were different”, Brand was still mainstream and celebrated as recently as 2020 when he had a cameo in the family-friendly Aussie soap Neighbours.

It’s only since spewing his ideas about Covid-19 conspiracies that Brand has been quietly dropped from the mainstream.

Russell Brand in his cameo on Neighbours in 2020. Picture: Channel 10

The enduring acceptance of Brand shows that we still have a long way to go when it comes to calling out predatory and problematic behaviour.

The media and general public have to shoulder some of the blame for making Brand an acceptable person to invite onto our TVs and into our lounge rooms. He proved that a man can behave in a predatory way and still get lucrative work. In fact, it’s a strong selling point.

As one if his victims Alice said in the documentary, Russell used his “funny persona” to hide his “dark behaviour”.