Russell Brand is speaking out for the first time after being accused of sexual assault by multiple women earlier this week.
“Hello there, you awakening wonders,” Brand, 48, said in a Friday, September 22, YouTube video. “Obviously it’s been an extraordinary and distressing week and I thank you very much for your support and for questioning the information that you’ve been presented with.”
Brand did not directly address the allegations specifically but went into detail about one of the consequences he’s currently facing: YouTube’s decision to demonetize his channel. He explained that he was now going to be broadcasting his show via Rumble — a video platform that is popular among conservatives — and will be back with a new episode on Monday.
“I’m asking you to please follow me on Rumble,” he shared. “Rumble has made a clear commitment to free speech and Rumble is the primary platform that we will be streaming from.”
On Sunday, September 16, The Times published a report accusing Brand of rape, sexual assault and abuse. Brand, for his part, has denied the claims.
“I’ve received two extremely disturbing letters, or a letter and an email, one from a mainstream media TV company [and] one from a newspaper, listing a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks,” he explained via X (formerly Twitter) one day before the news broke and did not go into detail about the claims.
Brand noted he had a “promiscuous” past but insisted his relationships were “absolutely, always consensual.”
“I was always transparent about that then — almost too transparent. And I’m being transparent about it now as well,” he added at the time. “And to see that transparency metastasized into something criminal that I absolutely deny makes me question [if] there is another agenda at play?”
The Sunday Times, a sister organization of The Times, reported that the three allegations made against Brand occurred between 2006 and 2013 while he was acting in Hollywood and working as a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4. Following the release of the story, more women came forward with new allegations and one case was even opened an investigation by the London Metropolitan Police.
Hours after news of the allegations broke, Brand received a standing ovation during a stand-up show at London’s Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre on Saturday evening. However, it was announced that the remaining dates of Brand’s tour were subsequently postponed.BBC and Channel 4 also subsequently removed content featuring Brand from their platforms.
If you have experienced sexual assault, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 for confidential support.
