Russell brand was dropped by his management company, Tavistock Wood Management, after a years-long joint investigation by three British media outlets that reported allegations that Brand committed sexual assault, rape and emotional abuse at the height of of his fame.
The investigation into Brand’s alleged behavior, led by The Sunday Times, The temperature, and Channel 4, found at least four women, including one who was 16 at the time, who accuse the 48-year-old comedian turned YouTube influencer of committing rape and sexual assault between 2006 and 2013.
In a statement to Deadline made on Saturday, Tavistock Wood Management responded to the accusations. “Russell Brand categorically and vehemently denied the allegations made in 2020, but we now believe we were horribly misled by him,” the statement read. “TW has terminated all professional ties with Brand.” The management company removed Brand’s profile from its website over the weekend.
Trevi, a U.K.-based women’s charity that aims to help people struggling with addiction, also announced in a statement on Instagram on Saturday that it had ended its relationship with Brand and her organization, the Stay Free Foundation. A former drug addict, Brand has written extensively about his experience in books, including this 2017 book. Recovery: freeing ourselves from our addictions.
The day before the investigation was released, Brand vehemently denied all allegations in a video posted to his personal social media accounts. (By The temperature, The brand had eight days to respond to its point of sale and Sunday time regarding the allegations). “The relationships I’ve had have always been consensual,” Brand says in the video. “I’ve always been transparent about it, almost too transparent. And I’m transparent about it now…I don’t mind them using my books and my stand-up to talk about my consensual and promiscuous conduct in the past. What I seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations. »
The investigation into Brand reportedly began in 2019 and, according to The temperature, involved interviews with “hundreds of people who knew or worked with Brand.” The accusers ranged from the 16-year-old – which is the age of consent in England – to Brand’s middle-aged colleagues and employees, who accused Brand of workplace misconduct, coercive in nature and often of a sexual nature.
Initially a stand-up comedian, Brand broke through to Hollywood with star roles in comedies including Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) and Take it to Greek (2010). In recent years, Brand has gone from movie star to influencer, posting videos about wellness, conspiracy theories, spirituality and addiction on his YouTube page, which now has more than 6 million subscribers. He has also become increasingly right-wing in some of his political positions, with right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones claiming that both have developed a friendship over the years.
In his video, Brand says he “was very, very promiscuous” at the height of his fame, but continued to deny any allegations of sexual assault or misconduct. “During this period of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual,” he says. On the evening the investigation was published, Brand performed his comedy show “Bipolarization” to the cheers and support of the crowd at Wembley, England, and reportedly received a standing ovation at the end of the performance.
Vanity Fair has contacted Russell Brand for comment.
