Russell Brand: Urgent investigation into allegations of abuse
The claims were made as part of a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches and include allegations of Brand’s controlling, abusive and predatory behavior.
Brand vehemently denies the allegations, saying in a video posted online that all of his relationships have been “consensual.”
The BBC said it was “urgently investigating the issues raised” while Brand worked on BBC radio programs between 2006 and 2008, while Channel 4 said it was conducting “its own internal investigation” following the allegations.
READ MORE: Russell Brand: The full timeline of allegations made
A statement from Channel 4 added: “We will be writing to all of our current suppliers reminding them of their responsibilities under our code of conduct as we work to ensure our industry has safe, inclusive and professional working environments.”
Brand was accused of preying on viewers for sex while hosting Big Brother spin-off shows EFourum and Big Brother’s Big Mouth on Channel 4.
A researcher claimed concerns about Brand’s behavior were reported to production managers at Endemol, the company that Channel 4 commissioned to produce the programs in 2004 and 2005, but these were dismissed.
Banijay UK, which bought Endemol in 2020, later said it had launched an “urgent internal investigation” and encouraged “anyone who feels they have been affected by Brand’s behavior” to come forward.
Since publication, The Times said it had been contacted by “several women” with allegations about Brand, but said her claims had not yet been investigated and were “now being rigorously investigated.”
The Metropolitan Police said it would speak to the Sunday Times and Channel 4 to ensure “any crime victims they have spoken to know how to report criminal allegations to the police”.
A Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) spokesman told the PA news agency there was no ongoing investigation into Brand, and another confirmed there had been no arrests following two allegations that allegedly occurred in the United States.
Meanwhile, questions are being asked as to whether TV bosses were aware of concerns about Brand’s behavior when working on their programs.
The chair of the House of Commons culture, media and sport committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage, said MPs would be “closely monitoring” the response to the allegations against Brand, while Foreign Secretary James Cleverly suggested on the BBC on Sunday that there were wider questions that the entertainment industry must answer.
The allegations against Brand include a woman who claims she was sexually abused during a three-month relationship with him when she was 16 and still in school.
READ MORE: Russell Brand tells show: ‘There are things he can’t talk about’
The woman described his behavior towards her as “grooming” as he allegedly provided her with scripts on how to trick her parents into allowing her to visit him.
In 2020, the woman contacted Brand’s literary agent at the time, who was also co-founder of the Tavistock Wood talent agency.
A statement from Tavistock Wood to the PA news agency said: “Russell Brand has categorically and vehemently denied the allegations made in 2020, but we now believe we were terribly misled by him. “TW has all professional connections to fire ended.”
Another woman claims Brand raped her at his Los Angeles home, and a third claims Brand sexually abused her while she worked with him in Los Angeles and threatened to take legal action if she told anyone about it would tell the accusation.
A fourth woman claims she was sexually assaulted by Brand and claims he physically and emotionally abused her.
EXCLUSIVE: Russell Brand denies allegations of rape, sexual assault, and controlling and emotionally abusive behavior.
Five women share their stories @C4Dispatches in a joint investigation @the times.
Watch Russell Brand: In Plain Sight tonight at 9 p.m @Channel4 pic.twitter.com/gmVMCAsh2B
– Channel 4 Dispatches (@C4Dispatches) September 16, 2023
In a video statement posted online before the claims were published, Brand said he was subjected to a “litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks.”
“Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks, there are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” he said.
Following the allegations in Dispatches’ “Russell Brand: In Plain Sight,” the women’s and children’s charity Trevi in the United Kingdom said it had severed ties with Brand and his charity, the Stay Free Foundation.
Brand’s website describes the Stay Free Foundation as a nonprofit organization focused on “supporting people in recovery from their addictions, mental health issues, and the nonprofit organizations that help them.”
It says it donates “regularly” to treatment centers such as Friendly House in Los Angeles and BAC O’Connor in the UK, while also supporting the Trevi Charity and the Treasures Foundation.
In a statement to the PA news agency, the Treasures Foundation said it only knew Brand in the capacity that he wanted to make amends and give something back to women.
A statement continued: “We cannot comment at this time on what has emerged. “We simply know him for the good he is doing now.”
Brand was rehabilitated from heroin addiction in the early 2000s and has since published his part personal memoir, part self-help guide titled Recovery: Freedom From Our Addictions, and also launched his community festival, with all profits going to the Stay be donated to the Free Foundation.
In the wake of the MeToo movement, Brand previously said he had no regrets about his past sexual behavior and claimed to have had intimate relationships with hundreds of women in the past.
Brand was married to US pop star Katy Perry from 2010 to 2012 and is now married to Laura Gallacher, the sister of presenter Kirsty Gallacher. The couple have two children, Mabel and Peggy, and a third child is due soon.
In recent years, Brand has apparently become a prominent conspiracy theorist. He uses his YouTube channel with millions of followers to report on breaking news, including alleged misinformation surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, and is an outspoken vaccine skeptic.
His latest live comedy show, Russell Brand Bipolarization, has three tour dates left in September.
When Dispatches aired on Saturday evening, Brand appeared as planned at the 2,000-capacity Troubadour Wembley Park Theater in northwest London for a sold-out comedy performance.
Without addressing the allegations directly, audience members told the PA news agency Brand had hoped they could “acknowledge” that there were things he could not talk about during the set.
