YouTube Suspends Russell Brand From Making Money Offsite After Sexual Assault Allegations
YouTube says Russell Brand will no longer make money from the video streaming site after several women made sexual assault allegations against the comedian-turned-influencer
ByThe Associated Press
September 19, 2023, 3:41 a.m.
Russell Brand leaves the Troubabour Wembley Park theater in north-west London after performing a comedy show on Saturday September 16, 2023. Three UK news agencies report that the comedian and social influencer has been accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse based on allegations from four women who knew him for seven years at the height of his fame. Brand has denied the allegations. (James Manning/PA via AP)
The Associated Press
LONDON — YouTube said Tuesday that Russell Brand will no longer make money from the video streaming site after several women came forward with sexual assault allegations against the comedian-turned-influencer.
YouTube said monetization of Brand’s account, which has 6.6 million subscribers, had been suspended “following serious allegations against the creator.”
“This decision applies to all channels that may be owned or operated by Russell Brand,” the Google-owned video service said.
Brand, 48, denies allegations of sexual assault made by four women in a Channel 4 television documentary and in The Times and Sunday Times newspapers. Among the accusers, who have not been named, one said she was sexually assaulted during a relationship with him when she was 16. Another woman claims Brand raped her in Los Angeles in 2012.
The four allegations date from between 2006 and 2013. The London Metropolitan Police said that since the allegations became public, they had received a report of a separate sexual assault dating from 2003.
Promoters have postponed the remaining dates of a series of concerts by Brand, who denies the allegations.
Known for his wild and risky stand-up routines, Brand was a major British star in the early 2000s. He hosted radio and television shows, wrote a memoir chronicling his battles with drugs and alcohol, appeared in several Hollywood films and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.
In recent years, Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media, but has built a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories. His YouTube channel, which has more than 6 million subscribers, has featured COVID-19 conspiracy theories, vaccine misinformation, and interviews with controversial broadcasters including Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan.
He also continued to tour as a comedian, performing in front of hundreds of people at a London venue on Saturday. He was due to perform in Windsor, west London, on Tuesday, but promoters announced the rest of the tour was postponed.
ABC
