Saskia Calliste
Warning: this article mentions sexual assault and rape
Audiences at Russell Brand’s live show in London last night laughed as the British comedian made remarks regarding the recent allegations made against him.
This comes after an investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches – which has been going on since 2019 – revealed the claims of several women who have accused the British presenter of rape, sexual assault and physical and emotional abuse.
An extensive report detailing the claims of the several women who have come forward was published by The Times yesterday (September 16).
Advert
Before the report was published, Brand released a video on YouTube and X, explaining that he had been sent emails and letters from media outlets detailing ‘very serious allegations’ that he strongly refutes.
In the video titled: ‘So, This is Happening’, Brand said: "I've 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, that I shouldn't be able to attack mainstream media narratives on this channel."
Brand continued: "But amidst this litany of astonishing rather baroque attacks, are some 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. As I've written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous.”
The shocking accusations that have been making headlines over the weekend haven't stopped the TV personality from embarking on his tour Bipolarisation, however, with Brand appearing at the Troubadour Theater in Wembley last night (16 September).
He gave his thanks to the 2,000 audience members for attending, and admitted that there were things he was simply unable to discuss because of the seriousness of the allegations against him and the potential for further investigation.
As per the BBC, Brand said: "I really appreciate your support. I love you. I want to do a fantastic show for you. I've got a lot of things to talk to you about.
“There are obviously some things that I absolutely cannot talk about - and I appreciate that you will understand."
Following this remark, the crowd emerged in laughter to which Brand responded: "I love you lot already. I'm going to give you everything I've got, let's go."
Brand would have been performing on stage during the time that the Dispatches documentary was broadcasting on Channel 4.
Some were unsure whether the show was going to go ahead amidst the allegations, but it was reported that Brand came out around 20:00, an hour later than originally scheduled due to a ‘traffic jam’.
It is also reported by the BBC that fans were overheard criticising the claims made towards Brand, with some even brandishing signs that read ‘We stand by you’.
Brand was dressed in a black jacket and jeans, whilst wearing a pair of large sunglasses on his face as he entered the stage door of the theatre.
At the time of writing, dates for Brand's tour in the UK are still scheduled.