Senior British politicians on Monday urged police to investigate as the U.K. entertainment industry faced questions about whether the comedianB次元官网网址檚 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 B次元官网网址渁lways consensual.B次元官网网址�
The Times said Monday that more women had contacted the newspaper with allegations against Brand and they would be B次元官网网址渞igorously checked.B次元官网网址�
Max Blain, spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, said the claims were B次元官网网址渧ery serious and concerning,B次元官网网址� and those making the allegations should be B次元官网网址渢reated seriously and treated with sensitivity.B次元官网网址�
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 B次元官网网址渋ncredibly shockingB次元官网网址� allegations.
B次元官网网址淭his merits and needs a criminal investigation, because for too long we have seen men B次元官网网址� and the perpetrators of these sorts of crimes are almost invariably men B次元官网网址� not being held to account for their behaviors and their actions,B次元官网网址� she told BBC radio.
LondonB次元官网网址檚 Metropolitan Police force said it would speak to the Sunday Times and Channel 4 to ensure B次元官网网址渁ny victims of crime who they have spoken with are aware of how they may report any criminal allegations to police.B次元官网网址�
The claims have renewed debate about the B次元官网网址渓ad cultureB次元官网网址� 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 risqu茅 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 B次元官网网址淔awlty TowersB次元官网网址� actor Andrew Sachs in which he boasted about having sex with SachsB次元官网网址� 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 B次元官网网址淏ig BrotherB次元官网网址� reality series B次元官网网址� spinoffs of which were hosted by Brand B次元官网网址� all say they have launched investigations into BrandB次元官网网址檚 behavior and how complaints were handled.
Brand also has been dropped by talent agency Tavistock Wood, which said it had been B次元官网网址渉orribly misledB次元官网网址� by him.
Supporters of Brand asked why the allegations were being made years after the alleged incidents. The women said that they only felt ready to tell their stories after being approached by reporters, with some citing BrandB次元官网网址檚 newfound prominence as an online wellness influencer as a factor in their decision to speak.
Victims and the media also have to take account of BritainB次元官网网址檚 claimant-friendly libel laws, which put the burden of proof on those making allegations.
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.
Ellie Tomsett, a senior lecturer in media and communications at Birmingham City University who studies BritainB次元官网网址檚 standup circuit, said Brand was a product of a live comedy scene that was riddled with misogyny B次元官网网址� and still is, despite progress made by women and others to diversify the comic landscape.
B次元官网网址淲hen weB次元官网网址檝e had a rise of popular feminism B次元官网网址� weB次元官网网址檝e also had a rise in popular misogyny epitomized by the likes of (social media influencer) Andrew Tate, but evident in all aspects of society, and definitely reflected on the U.K. comedy circuit,B次元官网网址� Tomsett said
B次元官网网址淢ore and more things are springing up to try and counter this, but the idea that itB次元官网网址檚 something that happened in the past and doesnB次元官网网址檛 happen anymore is, quite frankly, nonsense,B次元官网网址� she added.
Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
