Save articles for later
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.
Russell Brand exposed himself to a woman before laughing on air during his BBC radio show minutes later, it was claimed on Thursday.
The alleged victim said that she was left stunned following the encounter in Los Angeles in June 2008 and that shortly after on Radio 2 he laughed with his co-presenter who said Brand “showed his w—- to a lady”.
Russell Brand has denied allegations against him of rape, sexual abuse, coercive control and assault.Credit: Brand X
The show was pre-recorded but was still broadcast days later, despite the remarks.
Brand, 48, is facing allegations of rape, sexual abuse, coercive control and assault by women in the UK and United States between 2006 and 2013, when he was at the height of his fame.
He has vehemently denied all the allegations, which were made as part of an investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times.
Since the claims were published, another woman has gone to police to allege that she was sexually assaulted in Soho, in 2003.
BBC News reported the latest allegation from a woman who is being called Olivia, who worked for a media company in the same building where the comedian was recording the Russell Brand Show for Radio 2.
She claimed she answered the door to Brand and his team and later went to the bathroom to get some medication.
As she looked through the medicine cabinet she realised someone was behind her and claimed that when she turned round it was Brand.
“I was startled and got up and I realised it was the man that I’d let in – Russell,” she told BBC News.
Brand allegedly called her “a bit of alright” and tried to call her Betty, but when she said that wasn’t her name, he replied. “Well, I’m gonna f— you”, to which she said: “No, you’re not.”
Olivia claims the comedian pulled out his penis on his hand and “pretty much served it to me as you would be serving someone some food”.
She felt trapped as the bathroom door was shut and there was “a bit of banter going on because I didn’t know what to do” but he later pulled his trousers up and left.
During the show Matt Morgan, Brand’s co-presenter said: “It’s been 25 minutes since he showed his w—- to a lady” before Brand laughed and replied: “Very easy to judge! Very easy to judge!”
Morgan then suggested the woman was a receptionist before adding: “He got told off for ringing a bell, minutes later he’s showing his w—-.”
Olivia, who has never worked as a receptionist, said she was disgusted after hearing the clip.
“I feel ashamed, but more so I wonder had something been done, perhaps there would have been fewer women he would have done horrible things to, which we’re reading about in the papers now.”
She never made a complaint and said she was worried about the potential impact on her and her family if she had raised it officially.
“Had I known audio existed, I probably would have done something as the incident would have been corroborated.”
In 2019, BBC management was informed about the incident by a staff member who had spoken to Olivia but no formal action was taken.
“What allowed that output [to] go out like that?” she said. “What made the BBC think that was appropriate to go out like that? I just don’t understand why they didn’t investigate this much sooner.”
‘Extremely disturbing’
The latest allegation came as it emerged a team that was set up after Jimmy Savile’s abuse came to light is helping police looking into the rape and sexual assault allegations being made against Russell Brand.
The Hydrant Programme – national experts on child sexual abuse inquiries – urged people to report any allegations to investigators.
Brand has been axed by publishers and agents and demonitised by YouTube, but the online video platform Rumble said it had “emphatically” refused what it described as the “UK Parliament’s demands” after the media select committee asked if it would suspend Brand’s ability to make money.
The site, where Brand has 1.4 million followers, described the letter as “extremely disturbing” and said it would not be joining a “cancel culture mob”.
TikTok said Brand had never received any revenue from its app while Netflix has refused to take down a stand-up show available to its subscribers. The Guardian has refused to comment on Brand’s previous role as a columnist.
The BBC said it would look into the allegation and would be keen to hear from the woman as part of a review of allegations.
“A key part of the review is to understand what complaints were made at the time, if there was knowledge of Russell Brand’s conduct while he worked on BBC radio, and what was done as a result. Further, the Director General has been very clear that some broadcasts from that period were, and are, inexcusable and totally unacceptable, and would never be aired today.”
In a YouTube video on Friday night, Brand described the claims as “a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks”.
He said: “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.
“Now during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely, always consensual.”
The Telegraph, London
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.
Most Viewed in Culture
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article