Current:Home > ScamsUK police urged to investigate sex assault allegations against comedian Russell Brand -EliteFunds
UK police urged to investigate sex assault allegations against comedian Russell Brand
View
Date:2025-04-12 15:27:33
LONDON (AP) — A senior British politician on Monday urged police to investigate sexual assault allegations against Russell Brand, as entertainment industry figures faced questions about whether the comedian’s bad behavior went unchallenged because of his fame.
Brand 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.
Brand, 48, has rejected all the claims, saying in a video statement that his relationships were “always consensual.”
The Times said Monday that more women had contacted the newspaper with allegations against Brand and they would be “rigorously checked.”
Conservative legislator Caroline Nokes, who chairs the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, urged police in both Britain and the United States to investigate the “incredibly shocking” allegations.
“This merits and needs a criminal investigation, because for too long we have seen men -- and the perpetrators of these sorts of crimes are almost invariably men -- not being held to account for their behaviors and their actions,” she told BBC radio.
London’s Metropolitan Police force said it would speak to the Sunday Times and Channel 4 to ensure “any victims of crime who they have spoken with are aware of how they may report any criminal allegations to police.”
The claims have renewed debate about the “lad culture” that flourished in Britain in the 1990s and early 2000s, and the misogyny that still percolates on the internet.
The allegations reported by the newspapers and Channel 4 cover the period between 2006 and 2013, when Brand was a major star in Britain with a growing U.S. profile.
Known for his unbridled and risqué standup routines, 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 was suspended by the BBC in 2008 for making lewd prank calls to “Fawlty Towers” actor Andrew Sachs in which he boasted about having sex with Sachs’ granddaughter. He quit his radio show in the wake of the incident, which drew thousands of complaints to the publicly funded broadcaster.
The BBC, Channel 4 and the production company behind the “Big Brother” reality series – spinoffs of which were hosted by Brand -- all say they have launched investigations into Brand’s behavior and how complaints were handled.
In recent years Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media but has built up a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories. His YouTube channel, which has more than 6 million subscribers, includes COVID-19 conspiracies, vaccine misinformation and interviews with right-wing broadcasters including Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan.
He also continues to tour as a comedian, performing to hundreds of people in a London venue on Saturday evening as the Channel 4 documentary was broadcast.
veryGood! (1788)
Related
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- Planters is looking to hire drivers to cruise in its Nutmobile: What to know about the job
- Earthquake in Taiwan blamed for at least 9 deaths as buildings and roads seriously damaged
- Experienced climber found dead in Mount St. Helens volcano crater 1,200 feet below summit
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Caitlin Clark picks up second straight national player of the year award
- NYC’s AI chatbot was caught telling businesses to break the law. The city isn’t taking it down
- Justice Department announces nearly $80 million to help communities fight violent crime
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- LSU star Angel Reese declares for WNBA draft via Vogue photo shoot, says ‘I didn’t want to be basic’
Ranking
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Endangered right whale first seen in 1989 found dead off Virginia coast; calf missing
- Wolf kills a calf in Colorado, the first confirmed kill after the predator’s reintroduction
- Rangers-Devils game starts with wild line brawl, eight ejections and a Matt Rempe fight
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- Man cuffed but not charged after Chiefs Super Bowl Rally shooting sues 3 more lawmakers over posts
- Here’s Everything You Need To Build Your Dream Spring Capsule Wardrobe, According to a Shopping Editor
- Kirsten Dunst Shares Rare Insight Into Family Life With Jesse Plemons and Their 2 Kids
Recommendation
Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
Chinese signatures on graduation certificates upset northern Virginia police chief
Abdallah Candies issues nationwide recall of almond candy mislabeled as not containing nuts
Review: Andrew Scott is talented, but 'Ripley' remake is a vacuous flop
Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
Fire tears through nightclub and apartment building in Istanbul, killing at least 29 people: I've lost four friends
Maine power outage map: Spring snowstorm leaves over 200,000 homes, businesses without power
Customer points gun on Burger King employee after getting a discounted breakfast, police say