On Friday (September 15), Russell Brand took to his Instagram to address and refute what he describes as ‘extremely egregious and aggressive attacks’ against his character. The allegations made against him were part of a collaborative investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4 Dispatches.
The report accuses Brand of raping, sexually assaulting, and emotionally abusing four women between 2006 and 2013. At the time of the alleged assaults, he was a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4, while also appearing in Hollywood films. The 48-year-old is also being accused of ‘controlling, abusive, and predatory behavior.’
In his recent Instagram video, which was posted prior to the report going public, Brand says he received ‘two extremely disturbing letters’ from a mainstream TV company and a newspaper that listed a ‘litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks,’ as well as ‘some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute.’
One woman is accusing Russell Brand of raping her against a wall in his Los Angeles home, which resulted in her seeking treatment at a nearby rape crisis center. Two other women – one of whom he worked with in LA – are accusing him of sexual assault, as well as physical and emotional abuse.
A fourth woman claims to have had a relationship with Brand when he was 31 years old – she was 16 at the time. She described it as an ‘emotionally abusive and controlling relationship’ that lasted about three months. She recalled one instance where he forced himself on her, and she had to punch him to get him to stop him.
While Brand admits to living a ‘promiscuous’ life, he insists that all of his relationships during that time period were ‘consensual.’ “As I’ve written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous. Now during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely, always consensual,” he said.
In addition to the investigative report – which was published on Saturday (September 16) – the allegations are also the subject of a new episode of Dispatches on Channel 4. The 90-minute special aired on Saturday at 9:00 p.m. and again at 10:50 p.m. local time.
Russell Brand Says There Are Witnesses Who Can Set the Record Straight
In his Instagram video, Russell Brand says he has always been ‘transparent’ about his promiscuity – ‘almost too transparent’ at times – and that won’t change with the new allegations. He feels blindsided by the recent allegations and claims his transparency is now being ‘metastasized into something criminal.’
“I don’t mind them using my books and my stand-up to talk about my promiscuous, consensual conduct in the past. What I seriously refute are these very, very, serious criminal allegations,” he said. He feels his voice has never been approved by mainstream media and this is part of an agenda to control that voice.
Not only that, but he claims there are ‘witnesses whose evidence directly contradicts the narratives that these two mainstream media outlets are trying to construct’ – further calling this a coordinated attack to try and silence him and his way of living. Nonetheless, he’s prepared to fight to maintain his integrity.
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He concluded his video with a simple message to his fans and anyone else reading into these claims; “In the meantime, I want you to stay close, stay awake, but more important than any of that, if you can, please stay free.”
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