Russell Brand Speaks Out For The First Time Amid Sexual Abuse Scandal

BY Caroline Fisher
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Russell Brand Delivers The Reading Agency Lecture
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 25: Russell Brand poses for photographs as he arrives to deliver The Reading Agency Lecture at The Institute of Education on November 25, 2014 in London, England. Russell Brand will deliver 'a manifesto on reading' which will be in part personal, sharing his own experience of books and reading while growing up in the UK. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Russell Brand says it's been "an extraordinary and distressing week."

Earlier this month, four women's stories of being allegedly sexually abused Russell Brand were highlighted by The Times. He took to his YouTube channel just before the story went public, denying the allegations. He claimed that all of his previous sexual relationships were completely consensual, however, the women's accounts contradict that.

"I’ve received two extremely disturbing letters, or a letter and an email," he explained in the video. "One from a mainstream media TV company, one from a newspaper, listing a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks. But amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks, are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute." Now, he's taken to Instagram to speak out for the first time since the story dropped. "By now, you're probably aware that the British government have asked big tech platforms to censor our online content," he began.

Russell Brand's IG Rant

"Some online platforms, have complied with that request," he continued. "What you may not know is that this happens in the context of the Online Safety Bill. This is UK legislation that grants sweeping surveillance and censorship powers." Brand went on, "I also don't imagine that you've heard of the trusted news initiative and now, as often is the case when a word like trusted is used as part of an acronym to describe an unelected body, trust is the last thing you should be offering."

"The trusted news initiative is a collaboration between big tech and legacy media organizations to target, patrol, choke and shut down independent media organizations," he added. Brand then went on to advocate for Rumble, claiming that he'll be streaming there moving forward, discussing topics such as media corruption. At no point in the video did he directly acknowledge the allegations, but he did tell supporters that he needs their support "more than ever." What do you think of Russell Brand's recent video? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.

About The Author
Caroline Fisher is currently a News Editor at HotNewHipHop. Her time at HotNewHipHop began in 2023 when she began writing about music and pop culture full-time. Since then, she has helped cover major stories including the YSL RICO trial, Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s explosive feud, Diddy’s ongoing legal battle, and awards shows such as the BET Awards. Being from Chicago, she also got the opportunity to attend Summer Smash 2024 and review Chief Keef’s historic homecoming show. She additionally covered sets by Flo Milli, Playboi Carti, Bktherula, and more.

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