A month after he was charged with 5 prison counts together with rape, indecent assault, oral rape, and sexual assault, Russell Brand made his first look in UK courtroom Friday. The British comedian/actor turned conspiracy-focused social media star was launched on conditional bail on the finish of the proceedings, and was instructed to return to courtroom on the finish of the month. The similar day, right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson tweeted assist for Brand, and begged president Donald Trump to intervene on the alleged rapist’s behalf.
Claims of misconduct and abuse in opposition to the 49-year-old star of movies similar to Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Rock of Ages took center stage in September, 2023, when UK information shops The Times and The Sunday Times, in addition to Channel 4 newsmagazine sequence Dispatches, launched a sweeping joint investigation detailing an alleged sample of sexual assault and coercion. Four girls who spoke to the shops accused Brand of sexual assault in incidents between 2006 and 2013, whereas a major variety of others made claims of harassment, predatory conduct, and abuse.
The day earlier than the report was launched, Brand took to social media in an obvious effort to deny the upcoming allegations, saying then that “mainstream media” operations with a “serious and concerted agenda” would quickly launch a narrative about him that had “metastasized into something criminal.”
“I don’t mind them using my books and my stand-up to talk about my promiscuous consensual conduct in the past,” Brand said in a September 15, 2023 post to X (formerly Twitter). “What I seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations.”
His denial gained assist from followers together with X proprietor and alleged deadbeat dad Elon Musk, who responded—apparently in reference to the mainstream press—”Of course. They don’t like competitors.”
Brand has largely steered away from detailed touch upon the claims, telling a cheering crowd at a standup present days after the report dropped that “I love you. I love you. Thank you. There’s some things I cannot talk about, and hopefully, you appreciate that I’m gonna give you everything I’ve got.” The remarks got here the identical day he was dropped by management company Tavistock Wood Management, which mentioned in an announcement that it had been conscious of a minimum of one of many allegations in opposition to Brand since 2020, however Brand had “categorically and vehemently denied” it.
“We now believe we were horribly misled by him,” the assertion continued. “TW has terminated all professional ties to Brand.”
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police launched a year-long criminal investigation into the allegations against Brand, which was passed on to prosecutors last November. The agency had received “a number of allegations of sexual offenses in London” and outlying areas, it mentioned in a statement. After interviewing the suspect “under caution on three separate occasions,” officers handed the file of proof to the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), with a suggestion that costs be filed.
The CPS adopted swimsuit final month, charging Brand for alleged incidents involving 4 totally different girls that came about between 1999 and 2005. In a subsequent post to social media, Brand once more denied the claims, saying he was “incredibly grateful” for the “alternative to defend these costs in courtroom.”
In Friday’s hearing at Westminster Magistrate’s Court in London, Brand—clad in an unbuttoned shirt, jeans, and boots—remained largely silent after confirming his name, date of birth, and address. After Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring ordered Brand to inform the court of his travel plans and current location, Brand was granted bail. “Thank you,” Brand said, then left the courtroom, hopping into a black Mercedes waiting outside. He is expected to return to court on May 30.
That locational request is particularly important given Brand’s latest social media remarks. Via conservative platform Rumble, Brand mentioned in February that “I don’t live in the United Kingdom any more because I personally have experienced how the media, government and judiciary — if you suddenly become an inconvenience — will find ways to attack and shut you down.” He reportedly moved to a rental property in Florida’s Santa Rosa Beach, where he’s been spotted at yoga classes and at a local church.
Brand’s move to the US has seemingly spurred right wing broadcaster Tucker Carlson to spring to his defense. The fired Fox News broadcaster tweeted Friday that after Brand “criticized the government for using Covid to turn the UK into a totalitarian state,” Brand grew to become the main focus of “transparently political and absurd” claims, and “has no shot at a fair trial, because Britain is no longer a free country.”
“Over the last few years, millions of foreigners have applied for asylum in the United States,” Carlson continued, however “Russell Brand actually deserves it. Say a prayer that the Trump administration comes to his rescue.”
