[Stiri] Russell Brand speaks out on sexual assault allegations for the first time

[REFLX]

LONDON — Russell Brand has made his first public comments following the publication of several sexual abuse allegations against him, and attacked the British government and social media platforms for shutting down his ability to make money from his accounts.

“Obviously, it has been an extraordinary and distressing week and I thank you very much for your support and for questioning the information that you have been presented with,” Brand said Friday in a video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. 

It was the first time that the comedian turned influencer has commented publicly after British newspapers, including The Times, The Sunday Times and U.K. broadcaster Channel 4’s “Dispatches,” reported allegations that he had sexually and emotionally abused four women. 

Brand, 48, was accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse by four women. One of them said she was 16 (the age of consent in the U.K.) and Brand was 30 when they began a relationship that included abuse and sexual assault. A fifth woman has accused Brand of flashing his genitals at her.

The comedian turned wellness influencer has denied the allegations, saying that all his relationships have been consensual. In a video posted to his social media accounts before the publication of the allegations and the program called “Russell Brand: In Plain Sight,” he said he refuted what he called “very serious allegations.”

NBC News has not spoken to any of the accusers nor independently confirmed any of the allegations against Brand. 

Aside from thanking his supporters, his second video focused mostly on criticism of the British government, which he said had “asked big tech platforms to censor our online content, and some online platforms have complied with that request. 

“What you may not know is that this happens in the context of the online safety bill, which is a piece of U.K. legislation that grants sweeping surveillance and censorship powers, and it’s a law that has already been passed,” he added. 

YouTube blocked Russell Brand from making money from its platform, and the BBC pulled some of Brand's shows from its online streaming service. His management agency, Tavistock Wood, said Sunday that it had dropped Brand as a client after saying it had been “horribly misled” by him.

His former employers at Channel 4 and the BBC have said they are conducting investigations into the allegations.

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