Agency Drops Russell Brand Amid Sexual Assault Allegations
Russell Brand is facing a swift fallout after a joint report by three British news organizations in which four women accused him of emotional and sexual abuse between 2006 and 2013. The allegations (from women who have remained anonymous) include one woman who claims he raped her in 2012 and another who said he began a sexual relationship with her when she was just 16 and later assaulted her. Brand has denied the allegations.
Since then, several organizations and companies have cut ties with Brand. His agency, Tavistock Wood, announced that it was officially parting ways with him following the publication of the story.
The woman who claimed Brand pursued her while she was underage said she approached Brand’s literary agent, who is also the co-founder of Tavistock Wood, in 2020 with the same allegations but didn't hear back.
“Russell Brand categorically and vehemently denied the allegation made in 2020, but we now believe we were horribly misled by him,” the agency said in a statement to The Independent. “TW has terminated all professional ties to Brand.”
It’s not the only organization parting ways with the embattled Forgetting Sarah Marshall star. On Monday afternoon, his representatives issued a terse statement announcing that the remainder of Brand's Bipolarisation tour would be postponed. He was scheduled to appear at Windsor's Theatre Royale on Tuesday, with upcoming stops in Wolverhampton and Plymouth, UK.
“We are postponing these few remaining addiction charity fundraiser shows, we don’t like doing it—but we know you’ll understand, [sic]” the statement reads.
He was also removed from an upcoming poetry anthology, titled Poetry for the Many, which is set for a November release.
Blueprint, an imprint of Pan-MacMillan, which has published several of Brand’s self-help books since 2017, also announced that it won’t be moving forward with the planned December release of his Recovery: The Workbook.
"These are very serious allegations, and in light of them, Bluebird has taken the decision to pause all future publishing with Russell Brand," the publisher said in a statement to The Bookseller.
U.K.-based charity Trevi Women, which supports women recovering from addiction and escaping violent situations, has also cut ties with Brand. He had previously worked to raise money for Trevi through his own Stay Free Foundation in 2022.
“We are deeply saddened and upset by the stories reported on this evening’s Channel 4 Dispatches program regarding Russell Brand,” the organization wrote on social media. “Today’s media revelations have been difficult to process but our priority remains and continues to be the safety and well-being of all women and girls now and in the future. We have ended our association with Russell Brand and the Stay Free Foundation.”
Since the initial story, more women have approached The Times with stories about Brand, which the publication promised to rigorously investigate. Brand has denied the allegations in a video posted to his YouTube channel on Friday. The next day, as the special aired on Channel 4, Brand appeared at what would turn out to be the last show of his tour for 2,000 fans at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre. They greeted him with a standing ovation, some even carrying signs of support.
"I've got a lot of things to talk to you about,” he addressed the crowd. “There are obviously some things that I absolutely cannot talk about and I appreciate that you will understand."
While Brand is known to many for his appearances in Hollywood movies and other comedy endeavors, in recent years he has positioned himself as an alternative media personality commenting on politics and current events.