Topline
London’s Metropolitan Police has launched an investigation into alleged sexual offense committed by Russell Brand, multiple outlets reported Monday, after the British comedian was accused of rape and sexual assault by multiple women.
Brand has been accused of sexual assault and rape by multiple women.
Key Facts
The Metropolitan Police told news outlets it had received a “number of allegations of sexual offenses in London” and elsewhere in the U.K., noting that all the allegations were not recent and that no arrests had been made.
Met officials said the police probe follows an investigation by publicly owned broadcast network Channel 4 and The Sunday Times, which published the initial allegations against Brand earlier this month—which Brand has denied.
The police encouraged others who believe they may have been a victim to contact officials, “no matter how long ago it was.”
Forbes could not immediately reach Brand for comment.
Key Background
Earlier this month, Channel 4 and British newspapers The Times and The Sunday Times published accusations from four women who claim Brand had assaulted or raped after the news outlets investigated the comedian for years. One women said Brand raped her against a wall in his Los Angeles home and she sought treatment at a rape crisis center the same day, The Times reported, citing medical records. Another woman alleged Brand sexually assaulted her when she was 16 and claimed Brand kept her in an emotionally abusive relationship for months. Two separate woman claimed Brand threatened legal action if they told anyone about their respective allegations of sexual assault. The Times also reported multiple other women alleged Brand partook in predatory and abusive behavior.
Tangent
After these reports went public, the London-based talent agency Tavistock Wood dropped Brand as a client, saying that the actor misled the agency about the allegations against him. YouTube, the platform where Brand posts much of his content, said last week Brand could not make money from his channel on the site because he violated its “creator responsibility policy.”
Contra
Brand has repeatedly and adamantly denied the allegations. In a video posted on YouTube and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, over the weekend he said the claims were “extraordinary and distressing.” He also thanked his supporters for “questioning” the allegations made against him. Last week, after the allegations first emerged, Brand posted a video on YouTube and said the outlets investigating him had a “serious and concerted agenda” and called the infestation a “coordinated attack.”
Further Reading
Russell Brand Accused Of Rape And Sexual Assault By Four Women, Report Says (Forbes)
Russell Brand’s Agents Drop Star Amid Sexual Assault Claims—And Say They Were ‘Horribly Misled’ (Forbes)
YouTube Blocks Russell Brand From Making Money On His Channel After Sexual Assault Allegations (Forbes)
Russell Brand Accused Of Exposing Himself To A Woman And Then Laughing About It On Radio (Forbes)
