Russell Brand postpones all tour dates as former Channel 4 editor calls allegations a ‘MeToo’ moment for television

Shortly after the release of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Kristen Bell told interviewers that she had to “intimidate” her co-star Russell Brand to make sure he understood that she was not interested in a sexual relationship with him during filming .

Her memories of her time with the British actor and comedian have been shaken by allegations that he raped and sexually assaulted several women at the height of his fame.

A joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches uncovered the stories of four women – including one who was a minor at the time – who say Brand either raped or sexually abused them between 2006 and 2013.

Brand has denied the allegations.

A government minister has urged women who have experienced sexual assault to report it to the police.

Asked by LBC radio presenter Nick Ferrari what broadcasters should do in light of the allegations against Russell Brand, which the comedian and actor has denied, pensions minister Laura Trott told LBC Radio: “I think everyone needs to do better.”

“I don’t think any woman, Nick, can do anything but shudder as they read the allegations that have been spread all over the place this weekend. It’s terrible.

“And I give my absolute respect to the women who came forward and also to the journalists who fought for it, to the editors who made it possible for them, to the investments that were made and the enormous legal risk that was involved for stories.” like this one.

“We all have to do better. And I would just ask any woman who has had such experiences to come forward and report them to the police.”

Russell Brand has 6.61 million subscribers on YouTube, roughly the same number as before the recent allegations of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse emerged.

It’s a sizeable audience – slightly larger, for example, than the more wholesome Ant and Dec can reach for ITV on a Saturday night – and one that clearly wasn’t so repelled by the claims about him that it bothered to to log out. Google (listed as Alphabet Inc), owner of YouTube, also did not see fit to “cancel” the trademark, which must bring them (and itself) significant revenue.

As it turned out the night the story broke, Brand still managed to fill an auditorium, even though his performance was reportedly distracted. His fan base, misguided or not, sticks with him and most note that he is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law – beyond a reasonable doubt and the bar is relatively high before they withdraw their admiration.

Scandal-plagued comedian. Hollywood husband. Drug addict and wellness guru. Left activist. Conspiracy theorists. Over the course of his two decades in the spotlight, British stand-up host Russell Brand has presented many different roles to the public. Now a different, darker side of the comedian has come to light as he is accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse by four women.

Brand released a video on Saturday, September 17, before the allegations were made public, in which he denied “serious criminal allegations” that he said were related to his “promiscuous” past.

The 48-year-old comedian and actor said he “absolutely rejects” the claims and suggested that two “mainstream media outlets” were waging a “coordinated” attack against him. Later that day, a joint investigation by the Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches was published which revealed the allegations against him.

The allegations made against Russell Brand are “one of the MeToo moments for television”, said the former Channel 4 editor.

Dorothy Byrne told Channel 4 News: “Historically there has been a culture on television where abhorrent behavior from some men was tolerated on the grounds that they were so-called stars.”

MP Dame Maria Miller, a former culture secretary and women’s minister, proposed banning non-disclosure agreements in the entertainment industry if they were used to silence people about alleged incidents involving Russell Brand.

She told Sky News’ Politics Hub that the organizations involved “should provide an explanation as to why they did not have practices in place for people who wanted to speak out”.

“I think they need to be held accountable for how they treat their employees,” she said.

“I would also like to elaborate on some of the comments made over the weekend about people not still feeling able to speak out about these incidents, and in particular comments from both the BBC and the talent agency that gave me the feeling that maybe not- Disclosure agreements were used that may have had the effect of silencing people about what could now obviously be criminal allegations.”

Asked whether the use of non-disclosure agreements should be examined, she replied: “We have seen, not only in this case but in other cases, that media organizations have routinely used industry-standard non-disclosure provisions in contracts that they use when people suffer unlawful misconduct in the workplace. I hope that is not the case here, but if it is, I hope it will give the government an impetus to take action.”

She added: “Action has been taken to stop the use of NDAs in universities and perhaps this case with Russell Brand shows when it comes to non-disclosure agreements that we need to take the same action to stop their use across the entertainment industry to prohibit.” to.”

Russell Brand’s publisher announced it was “pausing” any future book projects with the comedian after sexual assault allegations were made against him.

Bluebird, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, has published Brand titles in recent years including Recovery: Freedom From Our Addictions and Mentors: How To Help And Be Helped.

In a statement to the PA news agency, the company said: “These are very serious allegations and in light of these allegations, Bluebird has taken the decision to cease all future publications with Russell Brand.”

An upcoming title, Recovery: The Workbook, from the 48-year-old actor and host was scheduled to be published by Bluebird in December 2025, according to the company’s website.

“Why are they only talking about it now?” “Why didn’t they report it to the police?” “Did they bring it on themselves?” “Are they doing it for the money?” “Is this all just a scheme for another successful man to bring you down?”

Whether it’s the President of the United States, a stand-up comedian, or someone’s brother-in-law, when women speak out about alleged male violence, we hear the same, predictable reactions.

Even before the Sunday Times broke the sexual assault and rape allegations, thousands took to social media to criticize the women as liars, attention-seekers, fame-seekers, mentally ill and even anti-government.

Anything but telling the truth.