Current:Home > ContactRussell Brand allegations prompt U.K. police to open sex crimes investigation -BeyondProfit Compass
Russell Brand allegations prompt U.K. police to open sex crimes investigation
View
Date:2025-04-15 20:53:16
British police have opened a sex crimes investigation triggered by news reports about comedian Russell Brand.
London's Metropolitan Police force said Monday that it had "received a number of allegations of sexual offenses" after a television documentary and newspaper investigations. It said there have been no arrests.
Brand, 48, denies allegations of sexual assault made by four women in a Channel 4 television documentary and The Times and Sunday Times newspapers. The accusers, who have not been named, include one who said she was sexually assaulted during a relationship with him when she was 16. Another woman says Brand raped her in Los Angeles in 2012.
Last week, a woman accused Brand of exposing himself to her in 2008. The woman told CBS News partner network BBC News she was working in the same building where the BBC's Los Angeles office was when the incident occurred and that Brand went on to laugh about it moments later on his radio show.
The police force did not name Brand in its statement, but referred to the recent articles and documentary. It said detectives were investigating allegations of "non-recent" sexual offenses, both in London and elsewhere.
"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," said Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of the Met's Specialist Crime Command, who is leading the investigation. "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."
Brand has denied the allegations, saying his relationships have always been "consensual," even during a period when he admitted being "very, very promiscuous."
Known for his unbridled and risqué standup routines, Brand was a major U.K. star in the early 2000s. He hosted shows on radio and television, wrote memoirs charting his battles with drugs and alcohol, appeared in several Hollywood movies and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.
Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media but has built up a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories.
Last week YouTube said it would stop Brand from making money from the streaming site, where he has 6.6 million subscribers, due to the "serious allegations" against him.
In an exclusive interview with "CBS Mornings," YouTube CEO Neal Mohan defended the platform's decision to suspend monetization of Brand's channel, citing YouTube's creator responsibility guidelines policy.
"If creators have off-platform behavior, or there's off-platform news that could be damaging to the broader creator ecosystem, you can be suspended from our monetization program," Mohan told "CBS Mornings" co-host Tony Dokoupil. "It's impacted a number of creators and personalities on the platform in the past. And that's what played out in this particular case around the serious allegations."
Promoters also canceled several scheduled live shows by Brand, and he has been dropped by his talent agency and a publisher since the allegations became public.
Brand still has a presence on Rumble, a video site popular with some conservatives and far-right groups, where his channel has 1.6 million followers. The site has been criticized for allowing- and at times promoting - disinformation and conspiracy theories.
Brand hosted a new broadcast on Rumble on Monday, saying the platform had made a "clear commitment to free speech."
- In:
- London
- Russell Brand
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- A Spotify publisher was down Monday night. The culprit? A lapsed security certificate
- Oprah Winfrey Weighs In on If Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Will Attend King Charles III’s Coronation
- The Sweet Way Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s Daughter Luna Is Taking Care of Baby Sister Esti
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Why Twitter is an easy target for outsiders like Elon Musk intent on change
- EU law targets Big Tech over hate speech, disinformation
- In major video game company first, Activision Blizzard employees are joining a union
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Lincoln College closes after 157 years, blaming COVID-19 and cyberattack disruptions
Ranking
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- EU law targets Big Tech over hate speech, disinformation
- See These 12 Secrets About She’s the Man for What They Really Are
- How one book influencer championing Black authors is changing publishing
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Here's why tech giants want the Supreme Court to freeze Texas' social media law
- Users beware: Apps are using a loophole in privacy law to track kids' phones
- American climber dies on Mount Everest, expedition organizer says
Recommendation
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
Ulta 24-Hour Flash Sale: Take 50% Off Halsey's About-Face, Too Faced, StriVectin, Iconic London, and More
Deepfake video of Zelenskyy could be 'tip of the iceberg' in info war, experts warn
Taliban kills ISIS-K leader behind 2021 Afghanistan airport attack that left 13 Americans dead, U.S. officials say
Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
Astronomers detect Scary Barbie supermassive black hole ripping apart huge star in terrifying spaghettification event
Coronation Chair renovated and ready for King Charles III after 700 years of service
King Charles III's coronation: The schedule and how to watch the ceremony as Britain's monarch is crowned