The English comedian and actor Russell Brand faces accusations of serious wrongdoing from a number of women. This is what we know so far:
What are the allegations?
Four women have alleged Brand sexually assaulted them at the height of his fame, between 2006 and 2013. This was while he was a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4 and then an actor in Hollywood films.
The women spoke to journalists from the Sunday Times, the Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches programme, who were working jointly on the investigation. The Sunday Times said the women did not know each other.
The journalists also spoke to people who worked alongside Brand during his media career and who detailed their experiences of his attitudes towards women more generally.
Some said they felt as if they had to act as his pimps, as he demanded they find attractive women for him in TV show audiences. Others talked about his alleged lewd conduct in and around the workplace – including an allegation that he propositioned colleagues.
What happens next?
Senior politicians have been among those calling for the police to investigate. And on Monday, the Metropolitan police confirmed they had received a complaint of sexual assault, alleged to have occurred in the Soho area of London in 2003, following the reports.
Some of the alleged attacks occurred in the US. Local police have not indicated they are investigating.
What will happen to Brand’s career?
On Monday, Brand’s one-man Bipolarisation show was postponed. Three dates in Windsor, Plymouth and Wolverhampton had been due to go ahead over the next 10 days.
A statement from the promoters said: “We are postponing these few remaining addiction charity fundraiser shows. We don’t like doing it – but we know you’ll understand.”
The Trevi women and children’s charity, which supports vulnerable women recovering from addiction, said it had ended its association with Brand and his charitable fund, the Stay Free Foundation.
In recent years Brand has developed a devoted following on YouTube and of his own “wellness” podcast. He has developed a public persona as someone who stands outside the media tent and tells his viewers the truth about what goes on inside. Identifying a powerful enemy trying to silence him is central to that.
On the night the allegations became public, Brand walked on stage in London to an ovation from his fans.
The initial allegations were carried exclusively by UK-based titles, whereas Brand’s fame – and his reach – are international. While they have been picked up by papers outside the UK, it remains to be seen how much they will cut through, compared with how clearly Brand’s own voice will be heard.
What has Brand said?
He has denied the allegations. Brand has portrayed them as part of a coordinated mainstream media campaign – getting his denial out on Friday, about 24 hours before the allegations were made public.
Brand called the reports a “litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks” and said they pertained to a period of his career when he was working “in the mainstream” – a period in which he has always openly acknowledged being “very, very promiscuous”.
On his YouTube channel, Brand said: “During that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual. I was always transparent about that then, almost too transparent, and I am being transparent about it now as well. To see that transparency metastasised into something criminal, that I absolutely deny, makes me question: is there another agenda at play?”
