Russell Brand Confronts Severe Accusations
1. Accusations During His Fame Peak
Between 2006 and 2013, the zenith of Russell Brand’s prominence, four women accuse the comedian of assault. This timeline coincides with his role as a presenter for the BBC and Channel 4, preceding his ascent as a Hollywood star. On Friday night, addressing the “very serious criminal allegations” via a YouTube video, Brand vehemently denied the claims, stating that his relationships were “always consensual.”
2. Alice’s Allegations: Grooming and Assault
Alice (a pseudonym) maintains that as a 16-year-old, she entered into a sexual relationship with Brand. At that time, Brand, then 30, would allegedly send cars to fetch her from school for encounters at his home. She further claims he grew increasingly controlling, urging her to lie about their relationship and to list his contact under a misleading name. A particularly disturbing allegation involves Brand’s purported act of secretly removing a condom during intercourse.
Alice recounted, “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 further described a harrowing incident where Brand forcibly inserted himself into her mouth. Despite her efforts to resist, she felt she had to resort to violence to fend him off. After this, he supposedly degraded her further, causing significant distress. Alice also highlights Brand’s concerning infatuation with her virginity and his request for her to read ‘Lolita’, a novel centring on a man’s obsession with a young girl.
3. Other Disturbing Allegations
Nadia’s account: Under the pseudonym Nadia, another woman accuses Brand of rape in 2012. After an initial consensual encounter, she describes a night when Brand allegedly forced himself on her without her consent. The aftermath involved text exchanges where Brand seemed apologetic.
Phoebe’s story: Another individual, going by Phoebe, discusses a brief consensual relationship with Brand. However, a specific incident saw her feeling “trapped” in Brand’s home, resulting in alleged assault and subsequent termination from a joint project.
Jordan Martin: Brand’s former girlfriend provided allegations via a self-published book, detailing an alleged assault in a Manchester hotel.
Furthermore, concerning behaviours such as offering a naked assistant to paedophile Jimmy Savile and inappropriate conduct with junior staff were unveiled. Moreover, Brand’s former assistant and another crew member shed light on his alleged predatory behaviour.
4. Brand’s Denial and His Query on a Hidden Agenda
In the wake of these accusations, Russell Brand chose to address the matter head-on. He posted a video where he emphasized that during his highly publicized and promiscuous phase, all relationships he engaged in were consensual. He expressed shock at the transformation of his transparency into alleged criminality, posing the question, “Is there another agenda at play?”
Russell Brand vehemently denies all accusations in a video on social media
In response to the allegations, Brand released a video to his social media accounts where he “absolutely” refuting any merit to sexual assault allegations made against him. He calls the allegations “very serious.” He went on to say: “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.” To see that transparency metastasized into something criminal that I absolutely deny, makes me question: Is there another agenda at play?”
Coordinated Media Attacks against the comedian
Later in the video, Brand refers to the allegations by The Times U.K, “coordinated media attacks.” He also claimed the allegations were possibly part of “another agenda at play” due to Brand’s career as an online media personality. “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 coordinated attack,” he concluded. “Now I don’t want to get into this any further because of the serious nature of the allegations but I feel like I’m being attacked and plainly they are working very closely together.”
The Show will go on – Brand’s Appearance at Troubadour Wembley Park
Despite rumours of Brand’s tour being cancelled, he took to the stage last night at Wembley Park. This performance came just a few hours after allegations of rape, sexual assault, and coercive behaviour against him surfaced. Between 2006 and 2013, a period marking the pinnacle of Brand’s career, four women made allegations against him. These claims emerged from a collaborative investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times, and Channel 4 Dispatches. Brand denies every accusation.
Late Arrival and A Rushed Performance
Turning up 46 minutes past the anticipated time, Brand’s entrance at the Troubadour theatre on Saturday evening was notably late. He arrived for his show, ‘Bipolarisation’, in a black Mercedes. Originally set to begin at 7 pm, the show only started after 8 pm, testing the patience of fans. The theatre, with its 2,000-seat capacity, witnessed fans pleading with front-of-house staff, hoping for last-minute entries without valid tickets.
Moreover, the performance’s length couldn’t match the waiting time. Clocking in at a mere hour and three minutes, resulting in some attendees departing early.
Brand Addresses the Audience
Clad in grey jeans, white trainers, a black jacket, and sunglasses, Brand seemed to briefly touch upon the swirling allegations. He subtly suggested that it was off topic for the evening. Footage from inside the theatre depicted an initial warm reception as he began his act. According to reports from the PA news agency, while expressing his gratitude and love towards his audience, Brand emphasised his limitation regarding certain topics for that evening. Consequently, he wrapped up the evening, making a hasty departure from the venue around 9.40 pm.
You can see the Dispatches documentary here.