British actor and podcast host Russell Brand has released a video online denying allegations of sexual assault, which were reported by The Sunday Times earlier this weekend.
Brand, who is best known for his film and television career, was subject to a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4 Dispatches into allegations of sexual misconduct from four women, whose names remain undisclosed.
In the video posted Saturday on Rumble, Brand denied all of the allegations, calling them “astonishing.” He suggested the media outlets have coordinated an attack, and noted that their claims “are contradicted by some witnesses.” He also stated that any sexual interactions he had with the accusers were always consensual.
This is happening pic.twitter.com/N8zIKLbJN2
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) September 15, 2023
One accuser claims Brand raped her in his Los Angeles home in 2006. The accuser told the media outlets she was treated at a rape crisis center on the same day of the alleged rape. The Sunday Times suggested medical records confirm this.
The other accusers allege that Brand was physically and emotionally abusive and sexually assaulted them, with one accuser claiming she was only 16 years old when the alleged misconduct occurred.
The Times said it gave Brand eight days to respond to the allegations, and Brand’s legal team responded by taking issue with the media outlets intentionally anonymizing his accusers’ names, making it more difficult for Brand to refute the allegations directly. Brand’s team also suggested there is a “deeply concerning agenda” to the investigation, as Brand is an alternative media broadcaster “competing with mainstream media.”
In response to the video, several high-profile figures have voiced their support for Brand, including X (formerly Twitter) CEO Elon Musk who suggested the media’s allegations were due to “competition.” Fox News host Tucker Carlson also voiced support for Brand, saying “criticize the drug companies, question the war in Ukraine, and you can be pretty sure this is going to happen.”
At the time of writing, Brand has not been charged with any crime and no further details have been released by any of the media outlets involved in the investigation. The video posted by Brand has been viewed millions of times, and the allegations have spurred a heated debate online over the implications of unconfirmed allegations and media investigation.
