Leigh Francis, better known by his stage name Keith Lemon, has addressed the sexual assault allegations facing Russell Brand.
Speaking this week, TV star Leigh, 50, admitted he hadn’t wanted to address the allegations, but decided to share his sadness over the situation.
Leigh also made a point of saying he feels ‘sad’ for Brand himself.
‘I promised myself I wouldn’t comment on it – it’s just sad, isn’t it?’ Leigh said at the Radiant Resilience private exhibition at London’s Quantus Gallery.
He added to MailOnline: ‘It’s a saddening thing for everyone. It’s sad for the ladies, it’s sad for his family and it’s sad for him.’
He also told the outlet it’s ‘unlikely’ he’ll ever be accused of anything untoward as he’s been in a relationship with his wife Jill Carter for over 30 years.
However, The Bo’ Selecta! comedian did express concern about being cancelled for saying the wrong thing, adding: ‘Yes, it’s easy to offend loads of people.’
Brand, 48, has been accused of rape, sexual assault, and controlling behaviour by several women at the height of his fame, with investigations now launched by the BBC, Channel 4, and the Metropolitan Police force.
Brand has denied the accusations against him, stating that while he was one ‘promiscuous’, any sexual encounters were ‘always consensual’.
Earlier this week, Brand pleaded with fans to give him money and support his Rumble channel as he returned to his live online show.
Speaking to over 70,000 viewers on Rumble on Monday night, Brand hit out at the ‘war against free speech’.
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He also urged them to subscribe to his channel, which costs $60 (£49) annually.
His livestream began just moments after the Met announced the launch of an investigation into allegations of past sexual offences in London and other areas.
These offences are all non-recent.
Officers will be offering specialist support to all of the women who have made allegations.
The investigation is being carried out by detectives in the Met’s Central Specialist Crime Command, led by Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy.
Supt Furphy said: ‘We continue to encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence, no matter how long ago it was, to contact us.
‘We understand it can feel like a difficult step to take and I want to reassure that we have a team of specialist officers available to advise and support.’
There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.
Metro.co.uk has reached out to Keith’s reps for comment.
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