Current:Home > NewsUK police urged to investigate sex assault allegations against comedian Russell Brand -FutureWise Finance
UK police urged to investigate sex assault allegations against comedian Russell Brand
View
Date:2025-04-16 15:03:00
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! (92)
Related
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- NATO chief tells Turkey’s Erdogan that ‘the time has come’ to let Sweden join the alliance
- Astronomers discover rare sight: 6 planets orbiting star in 'pristine configuration'
- Virginia Environmental Groups Form New Data Center Reform Coalition, Call for More Industry Oversight
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Big Oil Leads at COP28
- A teenage girl who says she discovered a camera in an airplane bathroom is suing American Airlines
- Michael Latt, advocate and consultant in Hollywood, dies in targeted home invasion
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- How Glee’s Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz’s New Project Will Honor Naya Rivera’s Voice
Ranking
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- LeBron James' business partner, Maverick Carter, bet on NBA games with illegal bookie, per report
- Katie Ledecky loses a home 400-meter freestyle race for the first time in 11 years
- GDP may paint a sunny picture of the economy, but this number tells a different story
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Vacuum tycoon Dyson loses a libel case against a UK newspaper for a column on his support of Brexit
- New York Times report says Israel knew about Hamas attack over a year in advance
- Powell says Fed could raise rates further if inflation doesn't continue to ease
Recommendation
Sam Taylor
Bolivia’s Indigenous women climbers fear for their future as the Andean glaciers melt
Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth battle in 'Mad Max' prequel 'Furiosa' trailer: Watch
Philippine troops kill 11 Islamic militants in one of bloodiest anti-insurgency offensives this year
'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
New York Times report says Israel knew about Hamas attack over a year in advance
Ohio Fails to Pass Restrictions on College Teaching About Climate Policies
Canadian mining company starts arbitration in case of closed copper mine in Panama