Russell Brand has shared a video on his YouTube channel denying some “very serious allegations” made against him, which are set to be shared in a documentary on Saturday and published in a newspaper.
The comedian and actor said he “absolutely refutes” the allegations against him, which he did not reveal in detail but referred to as “very, very serious criminal allegations”.
Brand, 48, said the allegations “pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when… I was very, very promiscuous.”
“I’ve received two extremely disturbing letters or a letter and an email. One from a mainstream media TV company, one from a newspaper listing a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks, as well as some pretty stupid stuff like my community festival should be stopped, that I shouldn’t be able to attack mainstream media narratives on this channel,” he claimed in the video.
Brand went on to suggest that the investigations were part of a “coordinated media attack”, “like with Joe Rogan, when he dared to take a medicine that the mainstream media didn’t approve of”.
During his “time of promiscuity”, Brand said, “the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual. I was always transparent about that then. Almost too transparent, and I’m being transparent about it now as well. And to see that transparency metastasized into something criminal that I absolutely deny makes me question, is there another agenda at play?”
Brand said there were witnesses who could “directly contradict” the claims being made against him in a “narrative” that two “mainstream media outlets are trying to construct, apparently in what seems to me to be a very coordinated attack”.
He concluded: “Now, I don’t wanna get into this any further because of the serious nature of the allegations, but I feel like I’m being attacked and plainly they’re working very closely together. We are obviously going to look into this matter ‘cause it’s very, very serious. In the meantime, I want you to stay close, stay awake, but more important than any of that, if you can, please stay free.”
Elon Musk, owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, was quick to defend Brand, replying to his video tweet saying: “Of course. They don’t like competition.”
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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 bitch allegations.”
Brand’s sister-in-law, TV and radio broadcaster Kirsty Gallacher, also appeared to support him, as she shared his video along with a red heart emoji to her Instagram Stories.
Brand boasts more than six and a half million followers on his YouTube channel, where he shares his thoughts on current affairs, often referencing conspiracy theories.
He has frequently attacked the mainstream media in the past.
On Friday, the Mirror reported that Channel 4 was set to highlight alleged behaviour by an A-list celebrity in a Dispatches investigation scheduled to air at 9pm on Saturday night.
The Channel 4 TV guide lists the forthcoming programme as: “New: Dispatches Special. A 90-minute special Dispatches investigation.”
The Independent has contacted Channel 4 for comment.
Essex-born Brand began his career as a stand-up comedian before landing a job as a presenter on MTV. He went on to star in film roles including St Trinian’s (2007), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) and Get Him to the Greek (2010).
He has become well known for his off-stage antics, including his two-year marriage to Katy Perry, his resignation from BBC radio over the bullying of Andrew Sachs over voicemail in 2008 and his vocal objections to voting in general elections in 2013.
