PremiumRussell Brand breaks silence on sexual assault allegations, alleges government interference
Russell Brand has been accused of sexually assaulting as many as four women between 2006 and 2013.
Last Updated: 10.39 PM, Sep 23, 2023
Popular comedian and actor Russell Brand has broken the silence on the recent sexual assault allegations that have turned his life upside down. He has been accused of sexually assaulting as many as four women between 2006 and 2013, with one of the alleged victims being just 16 years old at the time of the alleged incident.
The allegations were made by a joint investigation by the Sunday Times, the Times and Channel 4's Dispatches. Since the allegations became public, Russell's career has taken a significant hit. Amid the height of the ongoing developments both in his personal and professional life, Russell on Friday posted a video on his social media pages addressing the charges publicly for the first time.
Russell Brand's first comments on sexual assault allegations
In the video, he has also alleged a vast state-driven conspiracy aimed at tarnishing his reputation and preventing him from raising important issues that inconvenienced those in positions of power.
Describing the past days as "an extraordinary and distressing week,” he alleged that the UK government was trying to silence him. He also expressed his gratitude to his followers on social media for “questioning the information you have been presented with.”
“By now you’re probably aware that the British government have asked big tech platforms to censor our online content and that some online platforms have complied with that request,” he said.
Russell Brand alleges conspiracy
Russell also raised suspicions about the timing of the allegations, linking them to the pending online safety bill in the UK.
“What you may not know is that this happens in the context of the online safety bill, which is a piece of UK legislation that grants sweeping surveillance and censorship powers, and it’s a law that has already been passed," he added, urging his followers to rally behind him during these difficult times.
Russell's career has suffered since the surface of the sexual allegations against him. His YouTube channel boasting over 6.6 million subscribers lost its monetization, and his tour was postponed.