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Russell Brand has been convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault – and his behaviour has been hinted at several times over the years.
A number of celebrities have made pointed jibes at Brand, calling his reputation into question, and their comments are resurfacing in the wake of the verdict in the four-week trial.
The trial heard the star treated women as “disposable” and “amusements” to fill his voracious sexual appetite in a string of attacks between 2004 and 2009, by which time he had achieved “staggering fame”.
Brand, who vehemently denied the “very serious criminal allegations”, faces “a custodial sentence of some length”, which will be announced on Monday (8 November).
Below are the stars who have spoken out against Brand over the past 20 years.
Dannii Minogue
Upon reflecting on her appearance on Brand’s MTV chat show in 2006, singer and former X Factor judge Dannii Minogue told The Mirror: “He is completely crazy and a bit of a vile predator. I certainly don’t think he has cured his sex addiction, that’s for sure.”
Sean Lock
Sean Lock made no secret of the fact he disliked Brand. On comedy show 8 Out of 10 Cats in 2014, the late comedian said: “Probably the reason I hate him so much is because I’m a dad and I’ve got this fear that one day my daughters will bring someone like that home and he’ll come in and go, ‘Oh, oh, such pleasure to be in your charming abode.’”
Katherine Ryan
In 2022,Deadline reported that Brand was furious after Katherine Ryan allegedly called him a “sexual predator” repeatedly during filming for the first season of Comedy Central’s Roast Battle in 2018. He quit the show after six episodes and was replaced by Jonathan Ross. The alleged remarks were not aired.
This followed Ryan’s discussion of an incident, during an episode of her Prime Video series Backstage with Katherine Ryan, in which she called out a co-star on a TV set for sexual abuse. She did not name the alleged abuser, but when questioned on the subject again in an episode of BBC’s Louis Theroux Interviews… in November 2022, said that she believed him to be a “perpetrator of sexual assault” but said the conversation is “a litigious minefield”.
Ryan reiterated that the allegations were “not my story to tell” as “no one has perpetrated any sexual assaults against me”.
Bob Geldof
When Russell Brand introduced Bob Geldof to the stage at the NME Awards in 2007, he probably didn’t expect what happened next. Having watched Brand in action, the musician walked onto the stage, took the mic and uttered the words: “Russell Brand – what a c***.” Brand, usually unflappable, couldn’t hide his embarrassment as several people in the crowd cheered at Geldof’s words.
It was reported that Brand had briefly dated Geldof’s daughter Peaches, in the Noughties. But his relationship with the model – who died aged 25 of a drug overdose – was never confirmed.
Katy Brand
Katy Brand, who is of no relation to the guilty star, last year republished an old Instagram post in which she spoke of Russell Brand’s dominance in the comedy scene for years, despite rumours circulating in the industry of his predation.
“If you would like to know how men like Russell Brand are able to last so long in the entertainment business without anyone doing anything, here’s just one experience I had,” Katy Brand wrote on her Instagram. “I wrote a TV comedy show in 2019. They wanted to cast Russell Brand. I asked if they had done due diligence on him because there were a lot of allegations at the time. The producer made an awkward noise and said, ‘Oh, that’s all rather unpleasant to think about, isn’t it?; and then told me their CEO, a very powerful media figure, was taking Brand out for lunch that week anyway to persuade him to do it.”
She continued: “I said I would quit if he was cast. Brand said no, so they simply abandoned the whole thing anyway. That’s how it happens. Because they don’t care until they are forced to care. Solidarity with all the victims. Please keep speaking out.”
Daniel Sloss
Comedian Daniel Sloss claimed that women have been warning people about Russell Brand “for years” in Channel 4’s Dispatches special, which contained allegations of rape, sexual assault, and emotional abuse against Brand between 2006 and 2013. Sloss was the only comedian to go on record during the documentary.
“I know that there are groups set up by female comedians where they warn each other of comedians… to avoid,” Sloss told the programme, adding: “I know for many many years that women have been warning each other about Russell [Brand].”
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk.
If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
