A month after he was charged with five criminal counts including rape, indecent assault, oral rape, and sexual assault, Russell Brand made his first
A month after he was charged with five criminal counts including rape, indecent assault, oral rape, and sexual assault, Russell Brand made his first appearance in UK court Friday. The British comedian/actor turned conspiracy-focused social media star was released on conditional bail at the end of the proceedings, and was instructed to return to court at the end of the month. The same day, right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson tweeted support for Brand, and begged president Donald Trump to intervene on the alleged rapist’s behalf.
Claims of misconduct and abuse against the 49-year-old star of films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Rock of Ages took center stage in September, 2023, when UK news outlets The Times and The Sunday Times, as well as Channel 4 newsmagazine series Dispatches, released a sweeping joint investigation detailing an alleged pattern of sexual assault and coercion. Four women who spoke to the outlets accused Brand of sexual assault in incidents between 2006 and 2013, while a significant number of others made claims of harassment, predatory behavior, and abuse.
The day before the report was released, Brand took to social media in an apparent effort to deny the impending allegations, saying then that “mainstream media” operations with a “serious and concerted agenda” would soon release a story about him that had “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,” Brand said in a September 15, 2023 post to X (formerly Twitter). “What I seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations.”
His denial gained support from fans including X owner and alleged deadbeat dad Elon Musk, who responded—apparently in reference to the mainstream press—”Of course. They don’t like competition.”
Brand has largely steered clear of detailed comment on the claims, telling a cheering crowd at a standup show days after the report dropped that “I love you. I love you. Thank you. There’s some things I cannot talk about, and hopefully, you appreciate that I’m gonna give you everything I’ve got.” The remarks came the same day he was dropped by management company Tavistock Wood Management, which said in a statement that it had been aware of at least one of the allegations against Brand since 2020, but Brand had “categorically and vehemently denied” it.
“We now believe we were horribly misled by him,” the statement continued. “TW has terminated all professional ties to Brand.”
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police launched a year-long criminal investigation into the allegations against Brand, which was passed on to prosecutors last November. The agency had received “a number of allegations of sexual offenses in London” and outlying areas, it said in a statement. After interviewing the suspect “under caution on three separate occasions,” officers passed the file of evidence to the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), with a recommendation that charges be filed.
The CPS followed suit last month, charging Brand for alleged incidents involving four different women that took place between 1999 and 2005. In a subsequent post to social media, Brand again denied the claims, saying he was “incredibly grateful” for the “opportunity to defend these charges in court.”
In Friday’s hearing at Westminster Magistrate’s Court in London, Brand—clad in an unbuttoned shirt, jeans, and boots—remained largely silent after confirming his name, date of birth, and address. After Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring ordered Brand to inform the court of his travel plans and current location, Brand was granted bail. “Thank you,” Brand said, then left the courtroom, hopping into a black Mercedes waiting outside. He is expected to return to court on May 30.
That locational request is especially significant given Brand’s recent social media remarks. Via conservative platform Rumble, Brand said in February that “I don’t live in the United Kingdom any more because I personally have experienced how the media, government and judiciary — if you suddenly become an inconvenience — will find ways to attack and shut you down.” He reportedly moved to a rental property in Florida’s Santa Rosa Beach, where he’s been spotted at yoga classes and at a local church.
Brand’s move to the US has seemingly spurred right wing broadcaster Tucker Carlson to spring to his defense. The fired Fox News broadcaster tweeted Friday that after Brand “criticized the government for using Covid to turn the UK into a totalitarian state,” Brand became the focus of “transparently political and absurd” claims, and “has no shot at a fair trial, because Britain is no longer a free country.”
“Over the last few years, millions of foreigners have applied for asylum in the United States,” Carlson continued, but “Russell Brand actually deserves it. Say a prayer that the Trump administration comes to his rescue.”
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