YouTube has suspended the monetization of British comedian and actor Russell Brand’s channel on the video-sharing platform after the 48-year-old was accused of rape and sexual assault. The Google-owned company said on Saturday that the suspension meant adverts would not be shown on Mr Brand’s YouTube channel, stopping him from earning any revenue from his videos.
The spokesman added that the suspension was “following serious allegations against the creator.”
According to The Times newspaper and a Channel 4 TV documentary series called Dispatches, four women have come forward with reports of non-consensual sex with the comedian. One woman said Brand raped her, while another alleges he sexually assaulted her at 16 and is still at school. Both of these incidents are reported to have taken place in Los Angeles.
Mr Brand, who has over 6 million subscribers to his YouTube channel, denied all the accusations. In a video message posted on social media, he said the accusations contained “a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks as well as some pretty stupid stuff.” He also vowed to continue his work for human rights, mental health, and education.
The accusations prompted promoters to postpone the remaining dates in his live Bipolarisation tour and for him to be dropped by a talent agency and a book publisher. The Metropolitan Police said on Monday it had received a report of an alleged assault dating back to 2003 and is investigating.
Mr Brand is well known in Britain for his work as a television presenter and has starred in many British and Hollywood films. He has also written several books on spirituality and politics.
The suspension of advertising on his YouTube channel will not stop him from publishing videos on the platform, which will still be accessible to his millions of followers. However, this may lead to a significant drop in his revenues.
In recent years, he has largely moved away from mainstream media and focused on the internet, where he built up a following by posting videos mixing wellness advice with conspiracy theories such as COVID-19 pandemic conspiracies and vaccine misinformation.
He has spoken at the left-wing New Statesman literary magazine and appeared on popular talk shows such as Question Time, Newsnight, and Jeremy Paxman. He has also guest edited an issue of the liberal Current Affairs titled The Times and spoken out against sexism and homophobia, telling audiences to vote in the next general election “out of sheer weariness and exhaustion from the lies and treachery that’s been going on for generations.”
In a statement, YouTube said it takes action when creators’ off-platform behavior threatens the safety of its community. The spokesman added that it also considers the impact on viewers and whether the content violates its community guidelines. In the past year, the video-sharing company has taken steps to block ads on channels that distribute hate speech and have been deemed to spread misinformation.
