Audience takes their seats at Russell Brand’s sold-out Wembley gig as they are told he’s stuck in traffic after being accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse
- Brand was due to perform at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre this evening
Expectant fans taking their seats to watch Russell Brand’s sold-out Wembley gig have been told he is ‘stuck in traffic’ – hours after the under-fire star was accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse.
The comedian was due to take to the stage at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre at 7pm to perform his show Bipolarisation but is now stuck on the ‘M40’.
Pictures from inside the venue show supporters as they started to trickle in to watch the 48-year-old’s show, amid concerns the event could be scrapped amid the bombshell allegations against Brand.
But he is running late, his audience has been told. An announcement played to the theatre said: ‘Russell is stuck in traffic on the M40. The start will be closer to 7.40pm. He is 100 per cent on his way. He is looking forward to seeing you soon.’
Tonight’s show comes after four women alleged sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013, when Brand was at the height of his fame, working for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4 as well as starring in Hollywood films.
Brand also faces allegations of controlling, abusive and predatory behaviour, following a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches.
Fans were pictured taking their seats in Wembley hours after the allegations against Brand were revealed
Russell Brand took to his YouTube channel to ‘absolutely deny’ what he called ‘serious allegations’ ahead of a mystery Channel 4 Dispatches investigation
Brand vehemently denies the allegations and in a video posted online on Friday, stated all of his relationships have been consensual, before accusing the media of a ‘co-ordinated attack’.
In the clip, the 48-year-old claimed he was facing a ‘litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks’.
‘Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,’ he said.
‘These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies and as I have written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous.’
In the report by The Times, one woman alleges Brand raped her against the wall in his Los Angeles home.
A second woman alleges that Brand assaulted her when he was 31 and she was 16 and still at school. It is claimed the actor referred to her as ‘the child’ during an emotionally abusive and controlling relationship that lasted for about three months
A third woman alleged the comedian sexually assaulted her while she worked with him in Los Angeles and that he threatened her with legal action if she told anyone.
While the fourth claimed she was sexually assaulted by Brand who she alleges was physically and emotionally abusive towards her.
Brand (pictured with a couple of years ago with his wife Laura in Bath) said he had received two ‘extremely disturbing letters’ from a ‘mainstream media TV company’ and a newspaper
Among the allegations, which Brand denies, included the alleged rape of a woman (pictured is an image from the trailer of Channel 4’s Dispatches, set to air later tonight)
One of his alleged victims was still attending school when she was sexually assaulted by Brand.
Alice – not her real name – who was 16 at the time, was shopping outside Topshop on Oxford Street when Brand approached her and began rifling through her bag. He pulled out a dress and asked her if she would be wearing it on their date.
READ MORE: Alice’s story: Russell Brand assaulted me when he was 31 and I was 16 and still at school – he kissed my mother on the mouth and called me ‘The Child’
Their relationship lasted three months and Alice, as well her mother, both described Brand’s behaviour as ‘grooming’.
Towards the end of the relationship, the woman, now 31, said the comedian sexually assaulted her.
She told the paper: ‘I was sat up in the bed up against the headboard, and he forced his penis down my throat and I couldn’t breathe. It was just choking me and I couldn’t breathe, and I was pushing him away and he wasn’t backing off at all.’
Alice said that Brand manipulated women for sex by joking about his sex addiction and countless relationships.
She added: ‘I think he was very skillful in the start of making his identity be, ‘I’m the womaniser. I’m a sex addict. I’m inappropriate but it’s all just a joke, it’s funny’,’ Alice claims, ‘It’s a smokescreen for a lot more of his dark behaviour’.’
In late 2020, Alice contacted Brand’s literary agent, Angharad Wood, the co-founder of Tavistock Wood, to report the actor’s alleged behaviour.
Brand (pictured in 2008) said that during his ‘time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual’ and that he was ‘always transparent about that’
The allegations in The Times came ahead of Channel 4 latest Dispatches investigation (Brand is pictured in a clip on the programme)
She claimed she was told by a lawyer acting on Brand’s behalf that he denied the accusations. But in a fresh development tonight, Brand was removed from the websites of Curtis Brown and Tavistock Wood.
The women who have accused Russell Brand
‘Alice’: She was 16 when she claimed her and Brand entered a three-month relationship. Reportedly referring to her as ‘the child’ during their fling, she alleged Brand ‘forced his penis down her throat’.
‘Nadia’: She accused Brand of pinning her against the wall of his LA home in July 2012 before allegedly raping her.
‘Phoebe’: She and Brand reportedly met while at Alcoholics Anonymous. She accused Brand of sexually assaulting her in a bedroom as she screamed for him to stop.
‘Rachel’: The former runner used to work with Brand when he presented Big Brother’s Big Mouth. She claimed Brand flashed his penis at her when in his dressing room and made inappropriate advances towards her.
Jordan Martin: Brand’s ex-girlfriend alleged he sexually assaulted her in 2014, writing about the reported encounter in her self-published book.
Brand has denied the allegations and said his relationships have all been consensual.
In a statement about Alice’s 2020 allegations, Tavistock Wood tonight said: ‘Russell Brand categorically and vehemently denied the allegation made in 2020, but we now believe we were horribly misled by him. Tavistock Wood has terminated all professional ties to Brand.’
A second woman, who is named as ‘Nadia’ claimed to have had consensual sex with Brand in June 2012 in his LA home.
Nadia, who is a businesswoman, said she then visited the actor at his home again on the morning of July 1 where she claimed a ‘naked’ Brand came bounding out of his bedroom before then assaulting her against a wall.
Recounting the alleged incident to The Times, she said she ‘tried to get away’ and ‘slipped’ before then getting stuck on a painting.
‘At this point he’s grabbing at my underwear, pulling it to the side,’ the woman told the paper.
Nadia alleges Brand then grabbed her and pushed up against her after she told him she wanted to leave.
‘He’s a lot taller than me. And he has that glazed look in his eye again. And I can’t move. And I told him, ‘Get off, get off.’ Nadia claims Brand pushed her up against the wall and raped her, without a condom.
After the alleged attack, Nadia said she ‘ran out and jumped’ into her car. She claimed Brand later sent her a text, saying: ‘I’m sorry. That was crazy and selfish. I hope you can forgive me.’
Nadia later replied, telling Brand he had ‘scared the s*** out of [her]’ before claiming the actor apologised and claimed she asked him if she needed to be tested for a sexually transmitted disease, which he said she did not.
The Times claimed Nadia decided against pressing criminal charges against Brand – but that the Los Angeles Police Department had been alerted to her alleged assault after she reportedly attended a Rape Treatment Centre in Santa Monica.
The comedian, actor and internet personality told his 6.5 million subscribers that there are ‘very, very serious criminal allegations’ made against him which he ‘absolutely refutes’
Russell Brand is seen posing with Burlesque dancers Vanessa and Valeria at The Brit Awards 2007 Valentine’s Day photocall, Earls Court, London, on 13 Feb 2007
Nadia alleged Brand sexually assaulted her against the wall of his LA home (pictured is a trailer for the Dispatches investigation on Channel 4)
The following year, Brand allegedly sexually assaulted another woman in her twenties called Phoebe – which is not her real name – after reportedly meeting her at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
READ MORE: Russell Brand is set to perform in front of thousands TONIGHT at a sold-out gig in Wembley – just hours before a Dispatches expose airs – as comedian is removed from agency websites after denying ‘serious, criminal’ allegations
Phoebe said the pair started working together before having a brief sexual relationship, which ended by the time of the alleged attack in early 2013.
She told The Times how Brand allegedly trapped her in a bedroom after realising he wanted to have sex with her.
Phoebe told the paper he ‘grabbed’ her and put her on the bed before describing how his eyes were eyes were ‘black, like the devil’.
She claimed Brand then put his ‘hands down my trousers’ as she was screaming and fighting for him to get off of her.
‘I was screaming, and I was like, ‘What are you doing, stop, please, you’re my friend, I love you, please don’t do this, I don’t want to do this’,’ she told The Times.
Phoebe told the paper Brand eventually got off her before he ‘flipped’ and became ‘super angry’, shouting ‘f*** you… you’re fired’.
A short time later, Brand left the US and moved back to Britain. It was then that serious allegations about his conduct came to light.
In 2014, Brand’s ex-girlfriend Jordan Martin wrote about their relationship in her self-published book kNot: Entanglement with a Celebrity, in which she renames Brand ‘Randall Grand’ and herself ‘Dina’.
The Times said she declined to be interviewed about the incident but reported that she ‘stood by’ her account, which detailed their six-month love affair.
In the book, Martin alleged that Brand assaulted her while at Manchester’s Lowry Hotel following an argument about her ex-boyfriend.
Writing about the alleged experience, Martin accused Brand of coming up behind her after the incident and sexually assaulting her and alleged he ‘slides his hand down the front her low hanging jeans, into her underwear and forces a finger inside of her’.
Controversial comedian Brand lashed out at ‘aggressive’ media claims as he insisted any relationships he had ‘during his time of promiscuity’ were ‘consensual’ (he is pictured in June 2010)
Other allegations concern his alleged behaviour while working as a radio host for the BBC (Brand is pictured visiting SiriusXM Studios on October 14, 2014 in New York City)
Former spouse Katy Perry and Russell Brand attend the 82nd Annual Academy Awards in LA on March 7, 2010
Other allegations reported by the paper claimed that Brand’s alleged attitude towards women became an ‘open secret’ in radio and TV production, according to sources.
While hosting his BBC radio show on 6 Music The Times claimed it was told Brand and his co-host, Matt Morgan, would sometimes undress in the studio and encourage guests to do likewise.
READ MORE: Phoebe’s story: I met Russell Brand at Alcoholics Anonymous and he pinned me down on bed as I tried to fight him off
Morgan, who no longer works with Brand, told the paper that during his time with the Hollywood star he was ‘never aware of any allegations of serious sexual misconduct against’ the comedian before insisting he ‘absolutely condemns all form of mistreatment of women’.
He added he was ‘regretful to learn that a show I was part of made colleagues uncomfortable at times.’
A runner who worked with Brand when he presented Big Brother’s Big Mouth alleged the star flashed her and made inappropriate advances at her.
‘Rachel’ – not her real name – told The Times in a report published today that when she was 24, Brand flashed his penis at her as she walked into his dressing room.
She claims the comedian and actor ‘insinuated’ she could perform oral sex on him. Rachel said she was shocked by the comment and refused.
The alleged victim said she felt unable to report what had happened and feared that she would lose her job if she complained.
Brand, who has denied all allegations of impropriety made against him, is alleged to have continued to pursue Rachel, despite her rejection.
Russell Brand is pictured taking part in a discussion at Esquire Townhouse on October 14, 2017
One of the four women who today accused Russell Brand (pictured) of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse has claimed she was a victim of sexual assault at his house when he was working in the States
Rachel told The Times that after the incident he invited her to his flat, where they kissed and had sex. They later began a relationship, kept a ‘complete secret’.
Brand is alleged to have told her that he was forbidden from having sexual contact with ‘anyone working on Big Brother’.
The revelations came ahead of a much-anticipated Channel 4 Dispatches investigation, Russell Brand: In Plain Sight set to air at 9pm tonight.
READ MORE: Rachel’s story: I was a TV worker when Russell Brand flashed me and asked for sex in his dressing room – we began a relationship but he told me to keep it a ‘complete secret’
Last night Brand addressed his fans telling them he had received two ‘extremely disturbing letters from a ‘mainstream media TV company’ and a newspaper.
Addressing his fans, the comedian said he had been accused of ‘a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks, which are untrue’.
His video drew backing for tech billionaire Elon Musk, who owns X – formerly known as Twitter, self-professed misogynist social media star Andrew Tate and Brand’s sister-in-law, Kirsty Gallacher.
Amidst his denial of the allegations the 48-year-old actor said ‘we have seen coordinated media attacks before’, referring to Joe Rogan announcing he had taken anti-parasite drug Ivermectin to treat his Covid-19 infection during the pandemic.
Brand said he was ‘aware of newspapers making phone calls’ and ‘sending letters’ to people he knows for ‘ages and ages’, claiming he feels that ‘there’s a serious and consorted agenda to control these kind of spaces’, referring to his YouTube channel.
He added: ‘Amidst this litany of astonishing rather baroque attacks, often very serious allegations, that I absolutely refute.
‘These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies.
‘And 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 was always transparent about that. Then almost too transparent, and I’m being transparent about it now as well.’
Laura Brand, who is expecting their third child, has not commented anything publicly or shared anything on social media since her husband made the video. Pictured: The couple together in July
The host of allegations against Brand (pictured) are claimed to have taken place between 2006 and 2013, while Brand was presenter for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4 before then becoming a star in Hollywood. Brand vehemently denies the allegations
Brand continued: ‘To see that transparency metastasized into something criminal that I absolutely deny makes me question, is there another agenda at play?
‘Particularly when we’ve seen coordinated media attacks before, like with Joe Rogan, when he dared to take a medicine that the mainstream media didn’t approve of, and we saw a spate of headlines from media outlets across the world using the same language.’
Get Him to the Greek star Brand also said there had been calls for his Community Festival Hay-on-Wye to be cancelled.
READ MORE: What time is Dispatches on Channel 4 tonight? How can I watch it on streaming services?
Following the father-of-two’s bombshell video, he received the backing of disgraced influencer Andrew Tate – who recently won his freedom after months of house arrest amid an investigation into sex trafficking claims against the kickboxer and his younger brother, Tristan, 35.
Supporting Brand, controversial social media star Tate, 36, took to X, posting a cartoon meme of a knight preparing for battle, captioned: ‘On my way to fight the crazy b***h allegations’.
Alongside the image, he captioned it ‘Welcome to the club Russell Brand’.
Tate, who is currently facing charges of rape and human trafficking – which he has denied – in a separate Tweet responded to Brand’s video calling it a ‘Matrix attack’.
Brand also appeared to win the support of tech tycoon Musk, who appeared to sympathise with him. ‘Of course. They don’t like competition,’ he replied to the comedian’s video on X.
Both Musk and Brand have experienced similar criticism over the years being branded as conspiracy theorists.
During the pandemic Brand was condemned for airing Covid conspiracy theories and in 2014 he received backlash after claiming he was ‘open minded’ about the idea the US government might have been behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The Tesla boss has also been known to publicly support conspiracy theorists as some ‘have turned out to be true’.
Elon Musk appeared to back Brand’s video, taking to X to respond, telling the comedian ‘They don’t like competition’
Responding to the Tweet, tech mogul Elon Musk told Brand: ‘Of course. They don’t like competition’
YouTuber and self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate also took to X to show his support for Brand
Tate took to X, posting a cartoon meme of a knight preparing for battle, captioned: ‘On my way to fight the crazy b***h allegations’
In a separate Tweet responding to Brand’s video he called the allegations made against the comedian a ‘Matrix attack’
The comedian, actor and internet personality told his 6.5 million subscribers late on Friday night that there are ‘very, very serious criminal allegations’ made against him which he ‘absolutely refutes’
Later, Brand’s sister-in-law Kirsty Gallacher appeared to show her support for the controversial celeb.
READ HERE: Russell Brand and his women: Star who dated Kate Moss and Sadie Frost and married Katy Perry boasted of having a ‘Wonka ticket to a lovely sex factory because of fame’, writes ALISON BOSHOFF
The Smooth Radio presenter, 47, who is the older sister of Brand’s wife Laura, shared the comedian’s two-minute video on Instagram with a large red love heart.
Brand married his wife, who is currently pregnant with their third child, in 2017. Mrs Brand has not commented anything publicly or shared anything on social media since her husband made the video. She has since appeared to delete her Instagram account.
Amongst the ‘very serious allegations’ made, Brand said there was also a ‘litany of astonishing attacks’, which he called ‘some pretty stupid stuff’ including calls for his Community Festival in Hay-on-Wye to be cancelled.
He added: ‘I need my voice along with your voice. I don’t mind them using my books and my stand up to talk about my promiscuous sexual conduct in the past. What I seriously refute are these very serious, criminal allegations.
‘Also its worth mentioning that there are witnesses whose evidence directly contradicts the narratives that these two mainstream media outlets are trying to construct, apparently in what seems to be to me a coordinated attack.’
Throughout the clip, he mentioned how subscribers to his YouTube channel had previously written in the comments section ‘watch out Russell, they’re coming for you’.
Kirsty Gallacher has backed her brother-in-law Russell Brand as he took to social media to ‘absolutely deny’ a string of ‘very serious criminal allegations made against him’. Pictured: Kirsty with her sister Laura Brand
Brand took to his YouTube channel last night to ‘absolutely deny’ what he called ‘serious allegations’ ahead of a mystery Channel 4 Dispatches investigation
Brand’s sister-in-law Kirsty Gallacher appeared to show her support for the controversial celebrity, sharing his video with a red love heart.
Amongst the ‘very serious allegations’ made, Brand said there was also a ‘litany of astonishing attacks’, which he called ‘some pretty stupid stuff’ including calls for his Community Festival in Hay-on-Wye to be cancelled
Brand closes the video, which has already had 4.9million views since it was uploaded to X at 11.21pm on Friday, by saying: ‘In the meantime I want you to stay close, stay awake, but more importantly than any of that – if you can, please – stay free.’
Brand performed the latest rendition of his show, Russell Brand: Biopolarisation, in Wembley.
MailOnline understands the sold-out Tuesday performance of the show, at London’s Theatre Royal Windsor venue, is also still due to go ahead.
Gigs in Plymouth, on Friday, and Wolverhampton, on September 28, are also still listed.
Confused fans have taken to social media to question whether the performance will go ahead.
One said: ‘Please can you confirm if the performance tonight is ging ahead and if there is an option for a refund?’
Another added: ‘Any chance of a refund? There’s a show on at 9pm on Channel 4 that I don’t want to miss.’
On the tour’s website, it said the show discusses ‘rules and rules breaking’, ‘democracy and freedom’.
It adds: ‘We reach conclusions from mass confusion by polling the live audience.’
‘Stay free’ is a phrase Brand frequently used to ends his videos on his channel.
But hours before he was due to take to the stage, Brand was seemingly removed from the his agency websites.
Following his denial of allegations against him and ahead of the Channel 4 documentary tonight, Brand’s PR firm MBC PR and talent agent Tavistock Wood no longer advertise him as a client on their websites. However, it’s understood MBC PR still represent him.
The comedian’s live gig in front a 2,000 strong audience is set to go ahead tonight at the Troubadour Wembley Park in London
On June 1 2023, talent agency Tavistock Wood was still representing Russell Brand on their website
Today, however, the comedian is nowhere to be seen on the website. Last night he denied ‘criminal allegations’ in a video online
Russell Brand with Jemima Khan in downtown Manhattan on September 15, 2013. After Katy Perry, Brand had a long romance with the British socialite and film maker. In 2014 they sued a masseuse who had accused them of assault
Russell Brand and wife Laura Gallacher are seen on January 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, California
Brand said he had received two ‘extremely disturbing letters’ from a ‘mainstream media TV company’ and a newspaper
Brand’s statement came amid rumours on social media about whether a scandal about a famous person could feature in the investigation airing today.
READ MORE: How Russell Brand went from anti-capitalist who called profit ‘a filthy word’ to playing Home Counties lord of the manor with millions in the bank
Brand, an only child from Grays in Essex, became famous thanks to his one-man stand-up shows. For a brief time was the toast of London, sleeping first with supermodel Kate Moss (who regretted her choice) and then allegedly with Moss’ friend Sadie Frost, too.
He shot to fame in the noughties as a TV and radio presenter, hosting series including Channel 4’s Big Brother’s Big Mouth and a BBC Radio 2 show.
The 48-year-old comedian later graduated to Hollywood, starring in films including Rock of Ages, Get Him to the Greek, Despicable Me, and more recently Death on the Nile.
His fame was cemented by the 2008 tome ‘My Booky Wook’ soon afterwards, in which he told of his heroin addiction and numerous sordid sexual encounters including sex with prostitutes and joyless orgies.
The following year he lost his slot on a BBC Radio 2 show after calling up Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs to boast about having had sex with his granddaughter, Georgina Baillie.
At that time it seemed there was nobody he couldn’t charm. In 2010, after a brief courtship, he married dazzling pop star Katy Perry in a seven-day ceremony in India. They had met at the MTV VMA awards when Perry had thrown a plastic water bottle at his head.
By December of 2011, the Brand had fled for divorce from Perry, citing irreconcilable differences.
Russell Brand’s comments in full:
Hello there you awakening wonders. Now this is not the usual type of video we make on this channel where we critique, attack and undermine the news in all its corruption because in this story I am the news.
I have received two extremely disturbing letters – or a letter and an email – one from a mainstream media TV company, one from a newspaper listing a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks, as well as some pretty stupid stuff, like my community festival should be stopped and I shouldn’t be able to attack mainstream media narratives on this channel.
But amidst this litany of astonishing rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute. These allegations pertain to a time when I was in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies, and as I’ve written about extensively in my books I was very, very promiscuous.
During that time of promiscuity the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual. I was always transparent about that then, almost too transparent, and I am being transparent about it now as well.
And to see that transparency metastasized into something criminal that I absolutely deny makes me question is there another agenda at play.
Particularly when we have seen coordinated media attacks before, like Joe Rogan where he dared to take a medicine the mainstream media didn’t approve of and we saw a spate of headlines of media outlets around the world using the same language.
I am aware that you guys in the comments have been for a while saying ‘watch out Russell, they’re coming for you,’ ‘you are getting too close to the truth’, ‘Russell Brand did not kill himself’.’
I know a year ago there was a spate of articles: Russell Brand is a conspiracy theorists; Russell Brand is right wing.
I am aware of newspapers making phone calls, sending letters to people I know. For ages and ages, it’s been clear to me or at least feels to be there’s a serious and consorted agenda to control these kinds of spaces and these kind of voices.
I need my voice along with your voice. I don’t mind them using my books and my stand up to talk about my promiscuous sexual conduct in the past. What I seriously refute are these very, very serious, criminal allegations.
Also its worth mentioning that there are witnesses whose evidence directly contradicts the narratives that these two mainstream media outlets are trying to construct, apparently in what seems to be to me a coordinated attack.
Now, I don’t want to get into this any further because of the serious nature of the allegations but I feel like I’m being attacked and plainly they are working very closely together.
We are obviously going to look into this matter because it is very, very serious.
In the meantime, I want you to stay close, stay awake but more importantly than any of that, if you can stay free.
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