Russell Brand Says Allegations Have Left Him Shunned by Industry
WHO:
Rolling Stone - Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones described Brand as “a serial sexual predator” in opening statements; Brand pleaded not guilty.
The Hollywood Reporter - Brand said he would have asked a sexual partner, “Am I doing this right, do you like this, is this OK?”
Boston.com News - Brand’s wife, Laura Gallacher, accompanied him to Southwark Crown Court.
TMZ - Russell Brand testified during his rape trial.
The Hollywood Reporter - Brand’s defense team is led by barrister Ian Winter; the prosecution questioned Brand through barrister Riel.
The Hollywood Reporter - Six women allege offenses by Brand. He faces three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one allegation of attempted indecent assault.
The Hollywood Reporter - Brand denied criminal wrongdoing and said, “I know what ‘no’ means.”
The Hollywood Reporter - Brand said he married U.S. pop star Katy Perry and described the resulting change in his life as “Staggering fame.”
Deadline - The prosecution told Brand he “has a platform with followers in the millions” and has not been “taken apart by the media.”
WHAT:
Rolling Stone - Brand had shifted in recent years toward digital pundit work, creating podcasts focused on spirituality and anti-government conspiracies.
Rolling Stone - A complainant alleged Brand assaulted her at a radio station, pinning her to a wall and kissing her while she fought; she said she feared career repercussions and losing her job.
Rolling Stone - Another complainant disputed the defense’s implication that she consented to the entire encounter, saying, “I did not consent.”
Rolling Stone - The trial began on Oct. 12.
The Hollywood Reporter - Brand described one complainant as “loquacious” and “interesting,” and said he remembered a friend introducing them with words like, “There’s a bird here who really wants to meet you mate.”
The Hollywood Reporter - Brand testified that he spoke to the complainant involved in the Soho allegation for less than a minute before they went to a bathroom “to fool around.” He said there was “absolutely no question” she consented to entering the cubicle.
The Hollywood Reporter - Brand said he remembered a “memorable” sexual encounter with the complainant in the 2009 allegation and was “excited and enthusiastic” to see her again.
Boston.com News - Brand told reporters, “today is the day for truth and justice.”
TMZ - Brand said no one with relevant evidence was willing to come forward and publicly associate with him.
The Hollywood Reporter - Brand testified as the defense’s first witness and said no one with relevant evidence had agreed to testify for him: “I have not.” Asked whether anyone would “touch him with a bargepole,” he answered, “No.”
The Hollywood Reporter - Brand said allegations had consumed his life and that he had devoted himself to the case. He described the documentary that prompted the police investigation as “devastating.”
The Hollywood Reporter - One complainant alleges Brand raped her in a Bournemouth hotel room after a comedy gig; another alleges he grabbed her breasts, pushed her into a Soho bar toilet and orally raped her; a third alleges he anally raped her at his Hampstead home after consensual vaginal sex. Brand denied these allegations.
The Hollywood Reporter - Brand said consent is “fundamental, essential and necessary,” and “in many ways more important than sex itself.” He denied grabbing the complainant’s breasts or forcing oral sex, and denied anal rape.
The Hollywood Reporter - The judge reduced the final charge from indecent assault to attempted indecent assault.
WHERE:
The Hollywood Reporter - Proceedings are at Southwark Crown Court in London. The alleged incidents include locations in Bournemouth, Soho and Hampstead.
Deadline - The prosecution questioned Brand at Southwark Crown Court.
WHEN:
The Hollywood Reporter - The allegations are dated from 1999 to 2009. Brand recalled meeting the first complainant at the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth in 1999; another allegation concerns 2004, and the alleged incident at Brand’s home concerns 2009.
The Hollywood Reporter - Brand married Katy Perry in 2010. The police investigation began after a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary and subsequent allegations in The Sunday Times; the documentary aired in 2023.
The Hollywood Reporter - The trial could last up to six weeks.
WHY:
The Hollywood Reporter - The prosecution’s case includes allegations by six women; the trial is addressing charges of rape, sexual assault and attempted indecent assault.
HOW:
The Hollywood Reporter - The prosecution completed presenting its case before Brand’s defense began presenting arguments to the jury. Brand testified under oath and answered questions from his barrister and the prosecution.
(UPDATED October 29, 2026 02:00 UTC)
Russell Brand testified at Southwark Crown Court in London, denying criminal wrongdoing as he faces charges of rape, sexual assault and attempted indecent assault involving allegations by six women. Brand said consent is essential and disputed complainants’ accounts, while prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones called him “a serial sexual predator”; Brand pleaded not guilty. The allegations concern incidents in Bournemouth, Soho and Hampstead, and Brand’s defense began presenting its case after the prosecution finished.
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(UPDATED October 28, 2026 22:01 UTC)
Russell Brand testified in his rape trial at Southwark Crown Court in London, denying criminal wrongdoing as he faces three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one allegation of attempted indecent assault involving six women. Brand denied allegations tied to incidents in Bournemouth, Soho and Hampstead, saying consent was essential and that he knew what “no” meant; he also said he had not found anyone with relevant evidence willing to testify for him. Under questioning, Brand described one encounter as consensual and recalled another as memorable, while his wife, Laura Gallacher, accompanied him to court.
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(UPDATED October 28, 2026 17:11 UTC)
Russell Brand testified at Southwark Crown Court in London, denying criminal wrongdoing as he faces charges of rape, sexual assault and attempted indecent assault linked to allegations by six women. He denied specific accusations, including rape and sexual assault, and told the court that consent is essential; the allegations span several years and include incidents said to have occurred in Bournemouth, Soho and Hampstead. Brand also said no one with relevant evidence had agreed to testify for him, and described the allegations and the documentary that prompted the police investigation as consuming and devastating.