BRAND SPEAKS
Russell Brand breaks silence after sex abuse claims & moans about ‘distressing week’ as he begs for cash
RUSSELL Brand moaned of a "distressing week" in a bizarre tirade last night following a wave of sex assault allegations.
The comedian is accused of numerous sex attacks — including one of rape — on several women in the UK and California from 2003 to 2013.
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Brand, 48, has vigorously denied allegations made against him.
In his first social media appearance since the claims were first published by the Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches, Brand begged followers to subscribe to his Rumble video platform.
In a video to his 3.8m followers on Instagram, Brand said: “Obviously it’s been an extraordinary and distressing week and I thank you very much for your support and for questioning the information that you’ve been presented with.”
During the three-minute clip, he also made a series of false claims about “big tech”, “big pharma” and recent legislation such as the Online Safety Bill.
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The Hollywood actor added: “I need your support now, more than ever, and more than I ever imagined I would. Please, if you can, stay free.”
Subscribers to Brand's Rumble channel pay a minimum of £50 a year and creators can earn more cash from donations.
Brand will also be able to earn money from ads before and during his videos.
The move came as YouTube stopped him earning on his channel, where he has over 6.6 million subscribers and more than 1.13 billion views.
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Experts say Brand was likely earning around £4,000 per video, which could see him rake in around £1million a year.
He still had adverts from companies including Currys and Masterclass running on Monday.
But Taxi app FreeNow said it had requested that its adverts no longer appear on the star's channel.
Brand has also had shows and podcasts, including Bake Off, QI and Big Brother, taken down from BBC and Channel 4 streaming services.
The Forgetting Sarah Marshall star has an estimated £16million fortune but his tour was cancelled and his book axed in the wake of the claims.
In the video, Brand falsely claimed that the Trusted News Initiative was being used to "control, choke and shut down independent media organisations like this one".
In reality, the Trusted News Initiative is a partnership founded by the BBC that includes major media organisations from around the world, with the aim of tackling "fake news" and disinformation.
Brand also falsely stated that he was being "censored" by the government as part of the Online Safety Bill - however the bill has not received royal assent, so it is not a law in the UK.
The comedian's plea came just hours after a woman told Sky News he allegedly ripped a hole through her tights in a cab and wouldn't let her leave until she performed "sex acts".
On Thursday another woman told the BBC that Brand allegedly exposed himself to her in a Los Angeles office.
She claimed he told her "I'm gonna f*** you" before laughing about it on his BBC Radio 2 show moments later.
Another told The Sun on Tuesday that Brand allegedly stalked her down the street demanding sex.
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The conspiracy theorist is also currently being investigated by the Met Police after a woman contacted them on Sunday alleging she was sexually assaulted by him in London's Soho in 2003.
These allegations are in addition to the five women who came forward with allegations last weekend.
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