Russell Brand has been charged with two counts of sexual assault and one count each of rape, oral rape and indecent assault against four separate women, the Metropolitan Police announced on Friday.
The investigation into the comedian began in September 2023 when a number of alleged victims came forward.
“The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers,” Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said in a statement. “The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”
Brand subsequently denied the allegations in a video posted to social media hours after news of the charges dropped. “Firstly, thank you for these incredible and overwhelming messages of support,” he began. “We’re very fortunate, in a way, to live in a time where there’s so little trust in the British government. We’re very fortunate, I suppose, that this is happening at a time where we know that the law has become a kind of weapon to be used against people, institutions, and sometimes entire nations that will not accept and tolerate levels of corruption that are unprecedented.”
“Speaking particularly for those of you that are watching this in the U.K., how do you feel about your legal system right now? How do you feel about some of the high-profile cases that are not being pursued and prosecuted? How do you feel that the Southport murders were handled? How do you feel about the government of Keir Starmer? Now that’s just sort of general context,” Brand continued. “Me, I’ve always told you guys that when I was young and single before I had my wife and family — who are just out of shot over there, my beautiful children — I was a fool, man. I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord.”
“I was a drug addict, a sex addict and an imbecile — but what I never was, was a rapist. I’ve never engaged in non-consensual activity,” he said. “I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes. I want to thank all of you for your continuing support. I want to let you know that our show will be on Rumble on Monday, thanks for your support there. And, of course, I’m now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that. In the meantime, you lot stay free, and we will be continuing to discuss this matter. Praise the Lord.”
According to U.K. authorities, the alleged incidents took place in Bournemouth in 1999 when a woman was raped; and subsequently in the Westminster area of London in 2001 when a woman was indecently assaulted, in 2004 when a woman was orally raped and sexually assaulted and between 2004-05 when a woman was sexually assaulted.
Brand initially denied the assault and abuse claims after receiving requests for comment from multiple media outlets when the investigation first began in 2023.
“Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks, are often very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” he told his followers in a YouTube video that September. “As I’ve written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous. Now, during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual.”
“I don’t mind them using my books and my stand-up to talk about my promiscuous consensual conduct in the past. What I seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations,” the comedian added. “Also, it’s worth mentioning that there are witnesses whose evidence directly contradicts the narrative that these two mainstream media outlets are trying to construct, apparently, in what seems to me to be a coordinated attack.”
Brand is set to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on May 2.
