YouTube has banned Russell Brand from making money from advertising on the online video platform in response to accusations of rape, sexual assault and abuse against British comedian and actor Russell Brand.
YouTube said it had “paused” monetization of the brand’s channel, which has more than 6.6 million subscribers. These channels are still available for viewing.
Broadcasters including Channel 4 have pulled the comedian since The Sunday Times and Channel 4 on Saturday accused Brand of rape, sexual assault and sexual and emotional abuse between 2006 and 2013 special program or hosted program.
At the time he was starring in BBC and Channel 4 shows and appearing in Hollywood films.
On Friday, Brand took to his main YouTube channel @RussellBrand and social media platforms Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) to deny the claims. He said his relationships were “always consensual.”
YouTube said its actions were consistent with how it has implemented policies in the past, citing its decisions to remove YouTube users James Charles and David Dobrik following sexual misconduct allegations.
“If a creator’s off-platform behavior harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we will take action to protect the community,” the company said.
Media experts say the comedian likely makes most of his income from his YouTube channel, where he has been posting videos positioning himself as a health and wellness guru, as well as videos about global politics and media.
Other business partners have also severed ties with him, including his publisher Bluebird, a Penn Macmillan company due to publish a book in December, and talent owned by Curtis Brown Brokerage firm Tavistock Wood.
His live tour dates were postponed by promoters following his final appearance at London’s Wembley Park Theater on Saturday night, which began after The Sunday Times and Channel 4 reported the allegations.
The Metropolitan Police said on Monday it received a report of a sexual assault in 2003 following an allegation of sexual offences.
Broadcasters who hired Brand as a host or guest have launched investigations into his conduct. The BBC said the reports “contain serious allegations spanning several years. Russell Brand worked on BBC Radio between 2006 and 2008 and we are urgently investigating the matters raised.”
Brand committed to spin-off big brother The show is produced by Endemol, which was acquired by Banijay UK in 2020. In response to “very serious allegations…” . Regarding alleged serious misconduct by Russell Brand in 2004 and 2005 when presenting Endemol-produced programs, Banij said it had “launched an urgent internal investigation and will Cooperate with any requests for information from broadcast partners and external agencies.”
Channel 4 said it was “shocked by these deeply disturbing allegations, including conduct alleged to have occurred on programs produced for Channel 4 between 2004 and 2007”.The broadcaster has removed content featuring Brand, such as this The Great British Bake Off.
Channel 4 said it was “determined to understand the full nature of what happened”, adding: “We have carried out an extensive document search and found no evidence that Channel 4 was aware of the alleged incidents.
“We have asked the production companies who produce programs for Channel 4 to investigate these allegations and report their findings to us correctly and satisfactorily. Channel 4 is also conducting its own internal investigation.”
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