A comedian and influencer, Russell Brand, has been prohibited by YouTube from monetizing material due to recent claims of sexual assault.
YouTube informed USA TODAY on Tuesday that Brand is no longer qualified to receive ad income for videos he puts on the service because of the significant accusations against him.
What did Brand do?
Between 2006 and 2013, four women claimed that Brand sexually attacked them during the height of his stardom. He was a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4 and later worked as an actor in Hollywood movies.
The women talked to reporters working on the inquiry with the Sunday Times, the Times, and Channel 4’s Dispatches program. According to The Sunday Times, the women were strangers.
The journalists also talked to people whom Brand had worked with throughout his media career, and they shared their impressions of his general attitudes toward women.
Some claimed they felt forced to serve as his pimps because he insisted they locate attractive ladies for him among TV show viewers. Others discussed his allegedly vulgar behavior in and around the workplace, including a claim that he offered his coworkers sexual favors.
What’s next?
Senior lawmakers have joined those demanding an investigation by the police. Following the reports, the Metropolitan police acknowledged receiving a complaint of sexual assault that allegedly took place in the London neighbourhood of Soho in 2003.
The US is where some of the purported attacks took place. Police in the area have not said they are looking into anything.
What happened to Russell Brand career?
Because Russell Brand’s channels “violated” YouTube’s “creator responsibility policy,” the platform has banned them from running advertisements. YouTube claimed to be acting “to protect” its users.
Russell Brand solo performance of Bipolarization was cancelled on Monday. Over the next ten days, three dates in Windsor, Plymouth, and Wolverhampton were scheduled.
The promoters said: “We are postponing these last few addiction charity fundraiser performances. We know you’ll understand even if we don’t enjoy doing it.”
The Trevi women and children’s charity, which aids weak women in addiction recovery, announced that it has severed ties with Brand and his humanitarian organization, the Stay Free Foundation.
Brand has amassed a devoted audience on YouTube and his own “wellness” show in recent years. He has established a reputation as someone who speaks the truth about what happens within the media tent while standing outside it.
Finding a formidable adversary attempting to suppress him is crucial to that.
Brand entered the stage in London to a standing ovation on the evening the accusations were made public.
The early accusations were only reported by UK-based publications. However, Brand is well-known internationally and has a broad audience.
While newspapers outside the UK have covered them, it is still being determined how much of a difference they will make in terms of how Brand’s message will be heard.
What did Brand say?
He has refuted the charges. Brand has characterized them as part of a planned mainstream media campaign. He released his denial on Friday, just one day before the claims became known.
The reports, which Brand referred to as a “litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks,” were made during a time in his career when he was working “in the mainstream,” a time during which he has always publicly acknowledged being “very, very promiscuous.”
