In a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches, at least five women have accused UK comedian Russell Brand of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse. One of the victims, identified in the report as Alice, alleged she was only 16 years old when the incident happened while Brand was 31. All the incidents reportedly took place over a seven-year period when Brand was at the height of his fame between 2006 and 2013. Notably, Brand has talked openly about his sex addiction and was treated for the same.
Four of the five women have decided to remain anonymous in the reports. The Dispatches documentary on the issue was aired on the night of 16th September. As per The Times report, Brand’s representatives were informed in advance about releasing the details of the allegations and given ample time of at least eight days to respond to the allegations. It was further pointed out that the information was provided to help him recall the incidents. However, his attorneys initially said it was impossible to respond in such a timeframe due to the “vast litany of questions”, and most of the victims were anonymous.
The attorneys further claimed that Brand believed there was a deeply troubling agenda behind the allegations, “namely the fact that he is an alternative media broadcaster competing with the mainstream media”. Though Brand’s attorneys stopped responding to the queries when the media house provided him with another opportunity to respond, a statement was released online on the 15th of September. However, The Sunday Times did not receive any direct communication over the evidence that Brand claimed to have contradicted in the reporting.
One of the most shocking allegations against Brand was his relationship with a 16-year-old girl while he was in his early 30s. The relationship between the schoolgirl and Brand lasted for three months, and according to the victim, he often referred to her as “the child”. Alice, the victim in the matter, mentioned that he emotionally abused and controlled her.
In the conversation with the Dispatches, she accused Brand of forcing “his penis down her throat”. She added that he stopped only after she punched him in the stomach to stop him.
The second victim claimed Brand raped her in a Los Angeles home in 2012. When she sent him a message to say he scarred her for life, Brand responded by saying he was “very sorry”. The victim had met Brand at an after-party of his Brand X chat show. She allegedly did not report the crime because she feared his stature then.
The third victim alleged Brand assaulted her in LA and later threatened her of legal action if she went public. The fourth victim described the “sexual assault” as “physical and emotional abuse”. Several other women reportedly accused Brand of physical and emotional abuse, sexual harassment and bullying. Those who came forward were not in contact with each other and remained anonymous.
Allegations of grooming against Russell Brand
In 2006, Alice met Brand at a shopping centre. At that time, Brand was becoming a household name with his shows, including Big Brother’s Big Mouth and as a BBC radio presenter. Brand met her for the first time in Leicester Square, where she was shopping. She recognised him from TV. Speaking to the reporters, she said he took her bags and proceeded to critique her purchases. He then took one dress out and told her, “You are going to wear this on our date this week”. Her mother made Alice text Brand to tell him her age, assuming he would back off, but it made no difference.
On the first date, she was visibly a teenager who was dressed and wearing makeup. Brand again asked her age to confirm she was 16 to understand where he stood legally. Initially, Brand was “charming and attentive,” making her feel special. However, things changed with time. Before having a physical relationship for the first time, when Alice informed him she was a virgin, he got excited and called her “my baby”. He said, “You are like my little dolly,” and became “preoccupied” with her innocence and being “pure”.
Her mother was not pleased with the relationship but could not do anything as 16 is the legal age of consent in the UK. In the conversation with the Sunday Times, the parents described Brand’s behaviour as grooming. They alleged Brand suggested to her how she could deceive her parents to visit him. Furthermore, he gave her scripts on how to lie to her parents.
Once, when her mother accompanied her to Brand’s house to meet him, he stopped her at the door, leant down and “kissed the mother on the mouth”. Her mother was upset and pleaded with Alice to leave with her, but she chose to stay. Towards the end of the relationship, Brand allegedly sexually assaulted her. She said, “I was sat up in the bed, up against the headboard, and he forced his penis down my throat, and I couldn’t breathe. It was just choking me, and I couldn’t breathe, and I was pushing him away, and he wasn’t backing off at all.”
She added, “I had to punch him really hard in the stomach to get him off. I cried, and he said, ‘Oh, I only wanted to see your mascara run anyway.’ Then I knew at that point that he didn’t care about hurting me physically or emotionally… It shouldn’t take you having to punch someone and wind them to get them off you. It shouldn’t be a physical fight.”
The relationship ended when Brand invited her, and she found another woman in his bed. She said, “I was so angry, and I said to him, ‘Why would you do this to me? This is so humiliating.'”
In 2020, Alice contacted Brand’s former agency, Tavistock Wood and alerted them of his behaviour to ask for an apology. She was promised a response once he returned from a wellness retreat. However, what came back was the response of his attorneys accusing her of seeking financial gain. Replying to The Guardian’s query on the matter, Tavistock Wood said, “Russell Brand categorically and vehemently denied the allegation in 2020, but we now believe he has terribly misled us. TW has severed all professional ties with the Brand”
During his time with BBC and Channel 4, Brand’s behaviour towards women was an “open secret”. Questions and concerns were raised over his hosting a programme on Channel 4. Alice, who worked for Channel 4, said, “The solution that was offered was that we would take the female members of the crew – women who have worked hard to get into this industry – and now can’t work on certain shows because they are afraid they might be attacked or harassed. I was stunned.”
‘As if we worked as a pimp for him’
Former crew members at Big Borther’s EFourum said during his time with the channel, Brand would make the staff approach young women in the audience so he could meet them after filming. They said it felt as if they worked as a “pimp” for him. One of the crew members said she remembers women calling her in tears as they were treated “poorly” by Brand. His behaviour was at the top of the discussion on the sets.
