Actor and comedian Russell Brand has been accused of a string of allegations by four women — including rape, sexual assault, and emotional abuse.
The Ballers star has denied the allegations.
The alleged incidents are said to have taken place over seven years and include a girl who was 16 years of age at the time.
The claims were unearthed by a collaborative investigation between The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches, with the latter airing a Surviving R. Kelly style documentary about the 48-year-old actor in the UK last night, titled Russell Brand – In Plain Sight.
The timeline of the allegations spans from 2006 to 2013 and are said to have occurred while he was working in high-profile entertainment roles in the UK on BBC Radio 2, and Channel 4, and making films in the states. He was also in a relationship with musician Katy Perry for some of that period.
Here is a breakdown of the allegations as well as Russell Brand’s response.
Russell Brand allegations
The first woman says she was raped in the LA home of the Get Him to the Greek actor, and said she was treated at a crisis center on the same day as the alleged assault. She claims the British comedian forced intercourse without a condom. The report claims that the accuser also wrote the actor in a text, “When a girl say[s] NO it means no,” to which Brand allegedly responded with “very sorry.”
A second woman detailed an alleged sexual assault when she was 16, and Brand was 31. In the allegation, the accuser says she was forced into oral sex to the point of choking and had to punch the actor in the stomach to make him stop.
The incident is said to have occurred while she was still attending school. She says Brand referred to her as “the child” and claims he was actively controlling and emotionally abusive towards her.
In the full breakdown of the allegations, the woman, renamed Alice for protection, alleges she had an unsettling relationship with Brand that became increasingly aggressive.
She described Brand as having a fondness of her age and youthfulness during their relationship and claimed the Forgetting Sarah Marshall actor would cradle her in his arms like an infant. “You’re like my little dolly,” Alice claims the actor would say.
She added, “Russell engaged in the behaviors of a groomer, looking back, but I didn’t even know what that was then, or what that looked like.”
A third woman says the British actor sexually assaulted her while she was working in Los Angeles. She claims Brand threatened legal repercussions if she spoke to anyone about the incident.
The fourth accuser claims she was sexually assaulted and physically and emotionally abused by the 48-year-old comedian.
The report claims that all of the alleged victims felt comfortable telling their stories, and only did so after they were reached out to by the media.
Some reportedly felt motivated to share because Brand has since reinvented himself as a Wellness influencer on YouTube and social media.
Russell Brand responds to the allegations
The comedian and actor took to YouTube and other platforms to respond to the allegations.
In the video, titled, “So, This is Happening…,” Brand responds to the accusations by saying, “Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute.”
“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, and as I’ve written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous,” adds the Forgetting Sarah Marshall actor.
He followed it up with a claim that he was always consensual and open about his love life with everyone, explaining, “…during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely, always consensual.”
The British comedian alleged a “coordinated media attack” conspiracy was taking place against him for being “too close to the truth,” using examples such as Joe Rogan’s ivermectin backlash.
More about the Russell Brand accusations
The 16-year-old, who is now older and happily married, reportedly made attempts to reach out to Brand’s literary agent in 2020. The report says the Arthur actor’s lawyer responded aggressively, claiming she was trying to get money from Brand. She says, “I’ve never mentioned money. [The lawyer was] the only person that’s ever mentioned money.”
Since the report, Brand’s literary agent, Angharad Wood, the co-founder of Tavistock Wood, has removed his name from their website, and the talent agency that owns Tavistock Wood, Curtis Brown, also removed the actor.
In their response to the BBC, Tavistock Wood says, “Russell Brand categorically and vehemently denied the allegation made in 2020, but we now believe we were horribly misled by him.” The company added, “Tavistock Wood has terminated all professional ties to Brand.”