Question Time guest calls Brand a 'vile misogynist' and asks 'who was giggling along?'

Writer Matthew Syed said that although the allegations against Brand deserve due process, admitted that h. was shocked while watch Dispatches.

Speaking of Brand's time in the spotlight on mainstream media, Syed asked the Question Time audience who was "giggling along with the jokes about choking and rape?"

Lorraine Kelly quits social media after recalling Brand moment

TV presenter Lorraine Kelly has quit Twitter/X just a day after she recalled a moment on The Graham Norton Show in 2007 where Russell Brand called her a "slut." On Thursday the veteran host wrote: "Morning. Having a Twitter break - it's all gone a bit dark - find me on @lorrainekellysmith for mostly cute photos of my dog."

Speaking on her show Lorraine on Wednesday, Kelly said: "I interviewed him a lot over that time when he was in the public eye.

"I usually got the charming Russell, the flirty Russell but I have been doing this a long time and I would like to think there was a tiny bit of respect there, maybe. Although this happened."

It's unknown if the two incidents are connected.

Katherine Ryan responds to Brand allegations

Katherine Ryan has responded to the claims around Brand for the first time since they were made public.

Recent news reports suggested that Brand left the series Roast Battle on Comedy Central after co-star Ryan kept mentioning sexual abuse claims on camera.

On her podcast on Thursday, Ryan said: “I have nothing else to say about anything... apart from just a passing observation that when a woman says 'no, I don't want to engage in that conversation, no I have no comment on that story', 'no I won't be confirming or denying or participating at all about anything in the news right now', her consent is not valid.”

She added that “no is a full sentence”.

“Why is my consent totally unimportant when we are speaking a lot in the press right now about issues surrounding the importance of consent?”

Right wing TV host Megyn Kelly blasts Brand supporters

Megyn Kelly has slammed the "knee-jerk" response of some right wing commentators to support Brand.

The former Fox News host said: "People need to take a pause before they resort to the knee jerk.

"We cannot go from the absurdity of believe all women, which was never the right way, into the absurdity of believe no women. And that's what we're now doing."

‘Jimmy Savile police unit’ working with Met on Brand allegations

A police team set up after the Jimmy Savile scandal, called the Hydrant Programme, is working with the Metropolitan Police to investigate the claims made against Brand.

“We are working with the Metropolitan Police in support of their response to recent allegations and would urge any victim or survivor who feels ready to report any allegations of sexual assault to come forward and speak to officers,” a spokesperson for the Hydrant Programme said.

Read more.

Ed Miliband 'regrets 2015 Russell Brand interview'

Former Labour leader Ed Miliband has said he regrets allowing Russell Brand to interview him during the 2015 general election campaign.

Knowing what he does now, he “wouldn't have done that interview, and I regret doing it,” he told the BBC.

Miliband, now Labour's shadow energy security and net zero secretary, said: “Russell Brand was rather notoriously going round saying people shouldn't vote because voting made no difference.”

“That's why I did an interview with him, because I wanted to get to the people who he was influencing to say voting does make a difference.”

Here's the clip.

MPs' concern over Brand monetising content

Parliament's Culture, Media and Sport Committee writes to social media firm Rumble, asking it to prevent Brand monetising his content on its platform.

The letter asked the firm to confirm “whether Mr Brand is able to monetise his content [on Rumble]” and, if so, “whether Rumble intends to join YouTube in suspending Mr Brand’s ability to earn money on the platform”.

Rumble, which tends to attract people with right wing views, responded by rejecting the letter.

“We regard it as deeply inappropriate and dangerous that the UK Parliament would attempt to control who is allowed to speak on our platform or to earn a living from doing so,” the statement from Rumble said.

“We emphatically reject the UK Parliament’s demands."

Read more.

Elon Musk weighs in... Again

Elon Musk, the X/Twitter owner, has jumped back into the debate.

This time, he was responding to a UK Parliamentary committee letter that suggested companies cut Russell Brand's income in the wake of the allegations.

Musk wrote: "There is more to this than meets the eye.

"If the concern is actually sexual predation in the entertainment industry, that is a very long list.

"Why @rustyrockets and why now?"

Presumably, the answer is that it is because allegations of historic abuse have only just come to light.

But Musk's post appears to have got conspiracy theorists excited.

One person wrote beneath that it is a "psyop x distraction," while another said it is "targeted".

Neither provided evidence or elaborated on their rationale.

Here's the post.

Brand was 'thrilled' with Katy Perry's chilling nickname for him, claims Piers Morgan

Brand's ex-wife, popstar Katy Perry, referred to the comedian as Rasputin, according to Piers Morgan.

The TV personality wrote in the Sun newspaper that Perry used the chilling nickname at an event in 2013.

She allegedly told Morgan that British people are "so damn confident".

"Trouble is, I find that irresistible. I love Brits ... Well, not all of them – not Rasputin, obviously."

Grigori Rasputin was a monk during the final years of the Russian Empire, who was "infamous for his drunkenness and for womanising".

Morgan continued that Brand was later "thrilled" with the name.

He reportedly reacted by saying that Rasputin was a "pretty powerful bloke" who could "manipulate" people with his eyes, and who was "having it off with everyone, drinking and getting into fights".

Read more.

‘Furious’ Russell Brand ‘left Roast Battle’ after Katherine Ryan ‘predator’ remarks

Brand left the series Roast Battle on Comedy Central after co-star Katherine Ryan kept mentioning sexual abuse claims on camera, a new report by Deadline has claimed.

Ryan starred in the first season of Roast Battle alongside Brand and Jimmy Carr in 2018. Brand departed after six episodes, with Jonathan Ross taking his spot as a judge.

Read more here

Vanessa Feltz ‘admired friend’ Russell Brand before his ‘deeply offensive comments’ on chat show

Vanessa Feltz has revealed she went on Brand’s chat show as “his friend”, but admits she was horrified by his remarks asking if he could sleep with her and her daughters.

Feltz told This Morning presenters Holly Willoughby and Dermot O’Leary that she and Brand were friends when she appeared on the show in 2006, and that she “admired his style”, but says she soon felt awkward when he made sexual remarks towards her and her young daughters.

She said: “I was horrified, there has to be some boundaries but it is awkward when you are a guest on someone’s show. The genuine prevailing feeling was he was very funny.”

Watch the interview here

It's perhaps worth noting that Noel Fielding, Brand's longtime friend, has kept quiet on the whole scandal.

Russell Brand’s prank call to rape helpline in 2008

Brand was widely condemned in 2008 after prank-calling an emergency rape phoneline during a stand-up routine.

While onstage in Northampton in 2008, Brand phoned police in front of the audience, pretending to be a witness to numerous sexual assaults that had taken place in a local underpass.

“I have got some information for you,” he told the call handler.

“I’ve seen a gentleman who fits the description. He was wearing a lime green top and polka-dot trousers, and I thought, ‘Well, look at the state of him.’ I’ve had someone come near my underpass.”

He continued: “He was dressed absolutely atrociously, he looked like Timmy Mallett.”

Brand told the call handler that the audience laughter heard in the background was coming from an episode of The Bill he was watching on TV. He told them his name was Sarah.

Read more here

Follow the latest updates on Brand here. If you have information in relation to the allegations against Russell Brand which you would like to share with The Independent’s reporting team, please email newsdesk@independent.co.uk

While onstage in Northampton in 2008, Brand phoned police in front of the audience, pretending to be a witness to numerous sexual assaults that had taken place in a local underpass.

Accusations that Brand groomed and abused a 16-year-old have prompted important discussions about the age of consent in the UK and beyond

Candace Owens is among the commentators questioning YouTube's decision to demonetise Brand's channel

Another interesting point about noughties 'lad culture'

A number of commentators are pointing out that 'due process and the rule of law' must be respected in all cases

'Female Andrew Tate' gives the most toxic support to Russell Brand yet

It’s a sad inevitability that the big names defending Brand are some of the most influential in the world.

Elon Musk and Andrew Tate – two of the most Googled people on the planet – have already publicly backed the 48-year-old comedian, as have those great champions of right-wing and conservative conspiracy theories: Alex Jones, Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson.

And so it comes as no surprise that Pearl Davis, the woman who proudly owns the nickname “the female Andrew Tate”, is the latest red pill ideologist to throw her support behind Brand, who vehemently denies all the allegations made against him.

Read more here

But McPhee has insisted she's not a victim

This clip has been doing the rounds

Andrew Neil says public service broadcasters facilitated Brand's behaviour

Fearne Cotton deletes Russell Brand podcast episodes after ‘unfollowing’ him on Instagram

Fearne Cotton has appeared to delete two episodes of her podcast featuring Brand.

The comedian is married to Cotton’s good friend, Laura Gallacher, and, in August 2019, he was a guest speaker at her wellness festival Happy Place. In a Facebook post, Brand described the festival as the “Woodstock of Wellness”.

One year later, Cotton invited Brand to appear on her podcast, also titled Happy Place, for a second time. He had previously made a brief guest appearance after it was launched in 2018.

Read more here

Yet another reason why we love David Lynch

Interesting that this guy would urge fans to follow Brand's Rumble channel...

(He's one of the biggest financial backers of the platform)

What part has the "lads' mag" culture of the noughties played in all this?

More disturbing comments from Brand have emerged

An important discussion on BBC Radio 4's 'Women's Hour' earlier today:

Commentators continue to point out that Brand has always been famous for the wrong reasons

The BBC has now banned some content featuring Brand from its iPlayer and Sounds apps

In a statement a spokesman for the corporation said: “The BBC does not ban or remove content when it is a matter of public record unless we have justification for doing so.

“There is limited content featuring Russell Brand on iPlayer and Sounds. We’ve reviewed that content and made a considered decision to remove some of it, having assessed that it now falls below public expectations.”

Russell Brand likes bizarre Phillip Schofield tweet following allegations

Russell Brand has been silent on social media since allegations were made against him over the weekend, but he has liked one bizarre tweet featuring a GIF of Phillip Schofield.

The post in question features the Dispatches hashtag and a GIF of Schofield. The only words in the post are 'If only.'

Read more here

Donald Trump once asked Katy Perry why she married 'loser' Russell Brandeditsharetrending_up

Donald Trump’s Twitter timeline was a mixture of ridiculous and unhinged before being banned in 2021, most of it not worth revisiting.

However, people are now returning to one tweet about Russell Brand from way back in 2014 following allegations against the comedian.

Trump tweeted Katy Perry before he announced his run for president, asking what she saw in “loser” Brand.

"Katy, what the hell were you thinking when you married loser Russell Brand," he wrote.

“There is a guy who has got nothing going, a waste!"

Read more here

Comedian Sam Avery breaks down the appeal of brand Brand

Speaking of right-wing presenters...

Who knew GB News could tear itself apart over a single topic?

Here's what his dear pal, that fountain of reliable information, Alex Jones has had to say:

Here's a list of Brand's big-name backers so far:

Emily Maitlis reflecting on her 2017 interview with Brand

Sean Lock said he ‘hates’ Russell Brand and ‘fears’ his daughters ‘will take someone like him home’ in resurfaced clip

A clip of the late comedian Sean Lock discussing his contempt for Russell Brand has gone viral in the wake of criminal allegations being made against the 48-year-old comedian.

The clip in question is taken from the Channel 4 comedy panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats, and originally aired in November 2014. In the footage, Lock says that he “hates” Brand because of his role as a father, and “fears” his daughters would “bring someone like that home”.

Lock, who died in 2021 at the age of 58, is seen discussing Brand in the wake of the comedian’s controversial comments about voting. In October 2013, Brand had urged people not to vote during an interview with Newsnight’s Jeremy Paxman.

Read more here

Dannii Minogue labelled Russell Brand ‘vile predator’ in resurfaced interview

Dannii Minogue thought Russell Brand was a “vile predator” who “wouldn’t take no for an answer” when they met in 2006.

The Australian singer’s comments after her MTV interview with the under-fire presenter have resurfaced following Brand being accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse.

“He is completely crazy and a bit of a vile predator,” Minogue told the Mirror after being interviewed by Brand on his MTV chatshow, 1 Leicester Square back in 2006.

“I certainly don’t think he has cured his sex addiction, that’s for sure. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. [...] He always goes that step too far. Never quite far enough to slap his face, but usually too far.”

Read more here

Vanessa Feltz shares ‘deeply offensive’ clip of Russell Brand asking to sleep with her and her daughters

Vanessa Feltz shared a “deeply offensive” clip of Russell Brand asking to sleep with her and her daughters when she appeared on his chat show in 2006.

Feltz shared the clip during her TalkTv Show on Monday night.

Brand asks her: “Can I have it off with either you or your daughters?”

Cringing, Feltz replies: “No, you may not.” Brand states: “Come on, some of them are adults.”

Read more here

Kristen Bell comments about Russell Brand resurface after sex abuse allegations

Shortly after the release of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," Kristen Bell told interviewers that she had to "intimidate" her co-star Russell Brand to make sure he understood she was not interested in a sexual relationship with him during the shoot.

Her recollections of her time with the British actor and comedian have resurfaced in the wake of allegations that he raped and sexually assaulted a number of women at the peak of his fame.

During an interview with the Scottish Daily Record, Bell said she was aware of Brand's "womanising" and made it clear to him that she was not going to tolerate his advances.

Read more here

Piers Morgan is among the big names warning against the drawing of conclusions before legal and police investigations into Brand's behaviour are complete.

Russell Brand's conspiracy theory YouTube channel proves his skill at influencing others

Russell Brand has always prided himself on ruffling feathers.

Indeed, the ruffle-haired, one-time-winklepicker-championing anti-establishment icon even uses a crow (farting), as the logo for his website and podcast.

And yet, his preferred platforms have changed over the years: from London’s stand-up circuit to prime spots on British radio and terrestrial TV, to the Hollywood red carpet, and now to the favourite of every cash-hungry rebel – social media.

Yes, the 48-year-old has become a darling of the self-styled “free-speakers” of the internet, with the likes of Andrew Tate, Alex Jones and Tucker Carlson name-checking him as a mainstream-fighting compadre.

But really, it seems as though his great talent lies not in speaking truth to power, but in speaking so much and at such speed that you no longer remember what the truth was in the first place.

Read more here

Daniel Sloss standup clip recirculates as he's praised for speaking out against Russell Brand

Comedian Daniel Sloss is being praised by viewers after he spoke out against Russell Brand in a joint investigation from Channel 4 and The Times.

During the 'Dispatches' programme, it was revealed that comedians who worked in the industry at the same time as Brand were contacted, but only one was willing to speak on camera.

That comedian was Daniel Sloss. As Sloss, 33, sits down to talk to an off-screen interviewer, he says: "This is scary, this is intimidating, and if I'm scared of this, and there's almost no consequences to me, what do people who have suffered, and been subject to, his alleged behaviours, how must they feel?"

Read more here

Andrew Tate supports Russell Brand as comedian denies ‘very serious allegations

Andrew Tate has sent a message of support to Russell Brand after the comedian denied “very serious allegations” made against him in a recent YouTube video.

Tate posted an image of a knight preparing for battle with the caption: “On my way to fight the crazy b**** allegations.”

Read more here