Russell Brand's stand-up shows in the U.K. have been called off following allegations by four women of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse over seven years.
Brand has been accused of sexually assaulting the women between 2006 and 2013, according to a joint investigation in the U.K. by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4's Dispatches. During this time, he was a presenter on British TV and radio and an actor in Hollywood films. Brand has denied all the allegations.
Over the weekend, he performed at a sold-out show in London as a part of his Bipolarisation tour. But three remaining shows across England, which were set to take place in the coming days, have now been called off.
A representative of the Theatre Royal Windsor, where Brand had been scheduled to perform on Tuesday, shared with Newsweek a statement that came from the promoters of the Bipolarisation tour.
"We are postponing these few remaining addiction charity fundraiser shows, we don't like doing it—but we know you'll understand," the brief statement said.
In its own statement, Theatre Royal Windsor told Newsweek that it "will be offering ticket refunds in line with our terms and conditions of sale."
Newsweek has contacted Brand's representatives via email for comment.
Following the show set for Tuesday, Brand had been scheduled to perform in Plymouth on Friday and Wolverhampton on September 28. As of press time, Brand's tour continues to be promoted on his website. Meanwhile, the Theatre Royal Windsor is the only one of the three outstanding tour venues to have removed the event from its website.
At his London show this past Saturday—the day allegations against him were aired on Dispatches—Brand arrived at the venue 46 minutes late, according to London's Evening Standard. During his time onstage, he told the crowd there were things he could not discuss, the newspaper said.
The fallout from the allegations has also led to the suspension of Brand's working relationship with a U.K. book publisher, and a literary and talent agency has cut ties with him. Also, a charity supporting women who have been affected by abuse ended its collaboration with him.
In a video posted this past Friday to X (formerly Twitter), Brand denied the allegations brought against him by the women.
He said he has been transparent about his previous relationships being consensual and wants to continue being transparent. He also suggested that "mainstream media outlets are making a coordinated attack" against him.
"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, and as I've written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous," he said.
A Sunday Times story published over the weekend said one woman alleged that Brand raped her in his Los Angeles home and that she was treated at a rape crisis center that day. The Times said it had seen medical records supporting the allegation.
A second woman said that the comedian assaulted her when he was in his early 30s and she was 16 and still in school. She said he referred to her as "the child" during what she called an emotionally abusive and controlling relationship that lasted for about three months.
A third woman said that Brand sexually assaulted her while she worked with him in Los Angeles and that he threatened to take legal action if she told anyone about her allegation. The fourth woman alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Brand and that he was physically and emotionally abusive toward her.
The investigations developed over the past few years, according to The Sunday Times, with reporters interviewing hundreds of sources who knew or worked with Brand. These included ex-girlfriends and their friends and family, comedians, celebrities, people who worked with him in radio and TV, and senior staff at the BBC, Channel 4 and other media organizations.
To corroborate these allegations, reporters viewed private emails and text messages, submitted freedom of information requests, and viewed medical and therapists' notes, as well as Brand's books and interviews, The Sunday Times said.
Update 9/18/23, 12:50 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional background and information.
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Ryan Smith is a Newsweek Senior Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
