Senior British politicians on Monday urged police to investigate as the U.K. entertainment industry faced questions about whether the comedian鈥檚 bad behavior went unchallenged because of his fame.
Brand denies allegations of sexual assault made by four women in a Channel 4 television documentary and The Times and Sunday Times newspapers. The accusers, who have not been named, include one who said she was sexually assaulted during a relationship with him when she was 16. Another woman says Brand raped her in Los Angeles in 2012.
Brand, 48, has rejected all the claims, saying in a video statement that his relationships were 鈥渁lways consensual.鈥�
The Times said Monday that more women had contacted the newspaper with allegations against Brand and they would be 鈥渞igorously checked.鈥�
Max Blain, spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, said the claims were 鈥渧ery serious and concerning,鈥� and those making the allegations should be 鈥渢reated seriously and treated with sensitivity.鈥�
Conservative legislator Caroline Nokes, who chairs the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, urged police in both Britain and the United States to investigate the 鈥渋ncredibly shocking鈥� allegations.
鈥淭his merits and needs a criminal investigation, because for too long we have seen men 鈥� and the perpetrators of these sorts of crimes are almost invariably men 鈥� not being held to account for their behaviors and their actions,鈥� she told BBC radio.
London鈥檚 Metropolitan Police force said it would speak to the Sunday Times and Channel 4 to ensure 鈥渁ny victims of crime who they have spoken with are aware of how they may report any criminal allegations to police.鈥�
The claims have renewed debate about the 鈥渓ad culture鈥� that flourished in Britain in the 1990s and early 2000s, and the misogyny that still percolates on the internet.
The allegations reported by the newspapers and Channel 4 cover the period between 2006 and 2013, when Brand was a major star in Britain with a growing U.S. profile.
Known for his unbridled and risqu茅 standup routines, he hosted shows on radio and television, wrote memoirs charting his battles with drugs and alcohol, appeared in several Hollywood movies and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.
Brand was suspended by the BBC in 2008 for making lewd prank calls to 鈥淔awlty Towers鈥� actor Andrew Sachs in which he boasted about having sex with Sachs鈥� granddaughter. He quit his radio show in the wake of the incident, which drew thousands of complaints to the publicly funded broadcaster.
The BBC, Channel 4 and the production company behind the 鈥淏ig Brother鈥� reality series 鈥� spinoffs of which were hosted by Brand 鈥� all say they have launched investigations into Brand鈥檚 behavior and how complaints were handled.
Brand also has been dropped by talent agency Tavistock Wood, which said it had been 鈥渉orribly misled鈥� by him.
Supporters of Brand asked why the allegations were being made years after the alleged incidents. The women said that they only felt ready to tell their stories after being approached by reporters, with some citing Brand鈥檚 newfound prominence as an online wellness influencer as a factor in their decision to speak.
Victims and the media also have to take account of Britain鈥檚 claimant-friendly libel laws, which put the burden of proof on those making allegations.
In recent years Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media but has built up a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories. His YouTube channel, which has more than 6 million subscribers, includes COVID-19 conspiracies, vaccine misinformation and interviews with right-wing broadcasters including Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan.
He also continues to tour as a comedian, performing to hundreds of people in a London venue on Saturday evening as the Channel 4 documentary was broadcast.
Ellie Tomsett, a senior lecturer in media and communications at Birmingham City University who studies Britain鈥檚 standup circuit, said Brand was a product of a live comedy scene that was riddled with misogyny 鈥� and still is, despite progress made by women and others to diversify the comic landscape.
鈥淲hen we鈥檝e had a rise of popular feminism 鈥� we鈥檝e also had a rise in popular misogyny epitomized by the likes of (social media influencer) Andrew Tate, but evident in all aspects of society, and definitely reflected on the U.K. comedy circuit,鈥� Tomsett said
鈥淢ore and more things are springing up to try and counter this, but the idea that it鈥檚 something that happened in the past and doesn鈥檛 happen anymore is, quite frankly, nonsense,鈥� she added.
Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
