Russell Brand accused of sexual assault by 4 women, British media reports
- Four women have accused Russell Brand of rape and sexual assault.
- The accusations were published in a joint investigation by The Times of London and Channel 4.
Four women have accused British comedian Russell Brand of rape and sexual assault over a seven-year period.
The allegations were made in a joint investigation published Saturday by London's Times and Sunday Times newspapers and Channel 4.
More women have accused Brand of "controlling, abusive and predatory behavior," according to the report.
One of the women told the outlets that Brand raped her in his Los Angeles home. The outlets cite medical records showing that the woman was treated at a rape crisis center that day. She also provided text messages, the outlets reported. In one exchange, she says, "When a girl say NO it means no." Brand appears to reply to that, according to the outlets, "very sorry."On Friday night, apparently anticipating the publication of the story, Brand posted a video online. In the video, Brands says "some very serious allegations" were sent to him by two news outlets "that I absolutely refute."
Brand said the "extremely disturbing" letters listed a "litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks" and claimed the accusations were part of a "serious and concerted agenda" by the media trying to silence him.
The former comedian, 48, did not go into detail about the accusations in the video. He said although he'd been "very, very promiscuous" earlier in his career, his relationships were "always consensual."
"I've always been transparent about that," he said. "Maybe too transparent."
In the newspaper investigation, the reporters acknowledge that Brand has been open about his sex addiction over the years.
"Brand's material has acknowledged his sex addiction and he has often publicly joked about his predatory behavior and sex life," the newspaper report says.
The report said Brand and his lawyers had been given eight days to respond to the allegations. The lawyers told the newspaper that their client believed there was a "deeply concerning agenda to all this, namely the fact that he is an alternative media broadcaster competing with mainstream media." There was ultimately no reply from his lawyers when the Times asked for a full response, per the report.
Some other personalities who feel slighted by the media have chimed in. Earlier on Saturday, Elon Musk posted his support of Brand.
"Of course. They don't like competition," Elon Musk wrote on X, formerly Twitter, apparently referencing Brand's claim that the media was trying to "control these kinds of spaces and these kinds of voices."
Andrew Tate, a British-American former kickboxer and media personality who has some highly questionable opinions about women and who until recently was under house arrest in Romania for rape and human trafficking, also voiced his support of Brand.
"Welcome to the club," he wrote on X.
Once a popular comedian, Brand's brand has taken a turn in recent years. YouTube removed a video of his in 2021 for spreading Covid misinformation. And he has promoted conspiracies around the Ukraine War that are supported by the Kremlin.