Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuse by women including one aged 16, report says

Russell Brand is accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuse by a number of women but the comedian denies this and said his relationships were "always consensual"

A number of women, including one aged 16 at the time of her alleged attack, have accused Russell Brand of rape, sexual assault and abuse, The Sunday Times reports.

Before the claims were published Brand "absolutely" denied the allegations in a video posted to his social media, where he slammed them as a “litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks”.

At the time of the alleged assaults, between 2006 and 2013, Brand was a presenter for BBC Radio 2, Channel 4, and an actor in Hollywood films.

The Sunday Times report, which comes before a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary on the claims, includes one woman who says Brand raped her against a wall in his Los Angeles home.

Three other women, including one who was 16 at the time of the alleged incident, told The Sunday Times that he sexually assaulted them.

The others have accused him of physical and emotional abuse, sexual harassment and bullying, according to the reports.

In a video posted on social media site X, Brand said: "Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute."

The comedian has admitted in his past he was "very, very promiscuous” and said he had written about it in his books.

However, in the video posted overnight he said: “Now, 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.”

In recent years Brand has switched from a career in acting to creating social media videos and podcasts as what The Sunday Times describes as a "wellness and anti-establishment influencer".

The women behind the accusations said they felt ready to speak only after being approached by reporters.

Several said they felt compelled to do so given Brand’s return to prominence online.

Brand said he believes the reported allegations are part of a “co-ordinated attack” by the mainstream media and said he is going to look into this matter because it is “very, very serious”.

The Sunday Times asked his lawyer for the evidence referred to but no answer was provided.

Responding to the claims, a BBC spokesperson said; “Russell Brand worked for a number of different organisations of which the BBC was one. As is well known, Russell Brand left the BBC after a serious editorial breach in 2008 - as did the then controller of Radio 2.

"The circumstances of the breach were reviewed in detail at the time. We hope that demonstrates that the BBC takes issues seriously and is prepared to act. 

“We will always listen to people if they come forward with any concerns, on any issue related to any individual working at the BBC, past or present.”

 Channel 4 also provided a statement in light of the claims made in the investigation, stating; "Channel 4 is appalled to learn of these deeply troubling allegations including behaviour alleged to have taken place on programmes made for Channel 4 between 2004 and 2007."We are determined to understand the full nature of what went on. We have carried out extensive document searches and have found no evidence to suggest the alleged incidents were brought to the attention of Channel 4. They added; "We will continue to review this in light of any further information we receive, including the accounts of those affected individuals.

"We will be asking the production company who produced the programmes for Channel 4 to investigate these allegations and report their findings properly and satisfactorily to us."

The investigation has been published on the Sunday Times website, while the Dispatches documentary, Russell Brand - In Plain Sight, will air at 21:00 BST on Saturday on Channel 4.

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