British comedian Russell Brand accused of raping four women
- 16 Sep 2023
British comedian and presenter Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assaults and emotionally abusing four women during the height of his fame.
The alleged assaults occurred between 2006 and 2013, while he was a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4, and include an assault on a 16-year-old girl.
He vehemently denied the “very serious criminal allegations” ahead of a Sunday Times article and an expected expose to be aired by Channel 4’s Dispatches programme on Saturday night.
The allegations include crew members on his Big Brother spin-off being made to feel they were working as a “pimp” by approaching young women on his behalf, and that he raped a woman at his Los Angeles home.
In a video posted to social media, the 48-year-old actor said he received “two extremely disturbing letters” listing “extremely egregious and aggressive attacks” relating to his “promiscuous” past.
While he did not specify details of the claims, he insisted his relationships were “absolutely always consensual”.
He also attacked a “serious and concerted agenda” to silence him.
Moreover, Russell Brand allegedly had a three-month relationship with a 16-year-old girl while he was an adult aged 30, it has been claimed.
At the time, he was a BBC radio presenter and had met the schoolgirl while she was shopping in Topshop before inviting her on a date.
She told The Sunday Times that he referred to her as “the child” and became increasingly controlling, with his management aware that he had a teenage girlfriend.
On their first date, she claims he asked her to confirm if she was 16 and said: “I don’t give a f*** if you’re 12 . . . I need to know where I stand legally.”
He allegedly provided her with “scripts” on deceiving her parents, and told her not to trust her friends.
She claims that he sexually assaulted her at his home before their relationship ended after she discovered him in bed with another woman.
Brand has denied all allegations made by The Sunday Times and said that his relationships were “absolutely always consensual”.
Elon Musk and Andrew Tate back him, so does Brand’s sister-in-law
Elon Musk was quick to respond to Russell Brand’s video on Friday, in which the British comedian strenuously denied some “very serious allegations” made against him.
Musk replied to Brand’s tweet, writing: “Of course. They don’t like competition.”
Brand also appeared to receive support from Andrew Tate, the former kickboxing champion turned influencer charged with rape and human trafficking in Romania. Tate has denied any wrongdoing.
“Welcome to the club,” Tate tweeted, tagging Brand’s X/Twitter account and sharing an image of a cartoon knight with the caption: “On my way to fight the crazy b***h allegations.”
Brand’s sister-in-law Kirsty Gallacher also backed him after reposted his video denying “very serious criminal allegations made against him”.
Ms Gallacher, 47, is the older sister of Brand’s wife Laura. The Smooth Radio presenter shared the video on Instagram with a large red love heart ahead of a Channel 4 programme on Saturday evening.
Brand has launched a podcast and runs a yoga and mental health-orientated YouTube channel named Awakening with Russell.
The Independent
