Following the emergence of multiple allegations of sexual abuse against him, Russell Brand spoke out for the first time. He criticized the British government and social media sites for blocking his access to his accounts and his ability to earn money from them.
In a video broadcast on X, formerly known as Twitter, Brand stated on Friday, “It has been an extraordinary & distressing week that I thank you very much for being supportive and for challenging the information which you have been presented with.”
After claims that he had sexually and emotionally abused four women were published in British newspapers The Times, The Sunday Times, and U.K. broadcaster Channel 4’s “Dispatches,” the comedian turned influencer made his first public statement about the allegations.
Four women have charged 48-year-old Brand with rape, sexual assault, and emotional abuse. One of them said that Brand was 30 when their abusive and sexually violent relationship began, while she was 16 (the U.K.’s legal age of consent). Brand has been accused of showing his genitalia to a fifth woman.
The comedian-turned-influencer in wellness has refuted the claims, claiming that all of his partnerships have been mutually beneficial. Before the claims were made public with the show “Russell Brand: In Plain Sight,” he sent a video to his social media accounts in which he denied the “very serious allegations.”
None of the accusers have been contacted by NBC News, and none of the allegations against Brand have been independently verified.
In his second video, he thanked his supporters but also mainly criticized the British government for having “asked big tech platforms to restrict our online content, and certain online platforms agreed to comply with that request.”
What you might not be aware of, he continued, is that this is taking place inside the framework of the Internet Safety Bill, a piece of U.K. legislation that provides broad surveillance and censorship authorities.
Russell Brand was prohibited from making money on YouTube, and the BBC removed several of Brand’s shows from their online streaming platform. His management company, Tavistock Wood, announced on Sunday that it had terminated its relationship with Brand because it felt “horribly misled” by him.
His former employers at the BBC and Channel 4 have stated that they are looking into the allegations.
Additionally, Brand has canceled planned performances in the United Kingdom and is delaying the conclusion of his current comedy tour, “Bipolarization.” It was uncertain if a new date would be set.
Although the British government does not appear to have attempted to censor Brand, Caroline Dinenage, the chair of the Media and Sport Committee of the British Parliament, did write to Rumble to express her “concern” that Brand might make money off of his right-wing views.
Rumble issued a statement in which it referred to the letter as “disturbing” and declared that it would not “join a cancel culture mob.”
The Online Safety Bill, which Brand mentioned in his video, has been up for discussion among lawmakers ever since it was originally released as a draft in May 2021. On Tuesday, the British Parliament gave its approval.
The extensive piece of law calls on social media companies to remove offensive material, such as images of child sex abuse, hate speech, terrorism, revenge porn, and posts encouraging self-harm. Additionally, the platforms will need to take action to prevent the appearance of such content in the first place and provide users with more controls, such as the ability to block anonymous trolls.
Senior managers at tech companies risk criminal prosecution as well as prison time if they refuse to comply with British regulators’ requests for information. Companies that don’t comply risk fines of up to 22 million pounds ($22 million) or 10% of annual global sales, whichever is higher. In addition, if their business disregards regulators’ warnings regarding child sexual abuse and exploitation, they could face criminal charges.
Technically, because the bill has not yet received Royal Assent, which is needed to transform a bill into an Act of Parliament and is only a formality, it has not yet become law.
Brand went on to criticize the Trusted News Initiative, a collaboration of international news organizations that seeks to find ways to combat disinformation. Brand has spent the last several years growing his YouTube audience to more than 6 million subscribers, as well as his influencer and speaking career while peddling false conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and other topics.
He stated that the group’s goal was to “target, control, choke and shut down independent media organizations” and that “trust is the last thing you should be offering.”