This article contains references to sexual violence, coercive control, and violence against women.
Russell Brand has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault. Today (Friday, 30 May), the former comedian arrived at Southwark Crown Court in London for a brief hearing. He pleaded not guilty to five sexual offence charges. He will face trial in June 2026.
Earlier in the month, Brand had appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on the same charges, having been formally charged in April with rape, indecent assault and sexual assault. The charges relate to four separate women across a timespan of 1999 to 2005.
In a short statement released at the time, the Met said that it had written to Brand to inform him of the charges, and that he was due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 2 May.
Brand has previously denied all accusations against him, calling them “very, very hurtful” and maintains that his sexual encounters were “absolutely always consensual”.
Allegations against Brand were first published on 16 September 2023, via a joint investigation conducted by The Times and The Sunday Times together with Channel 4's Dispatches. The Channel 4 documentary, Russell Brand: In Plain Sight: Dispatches, was released on 18 September 2023, detailing the investigation.
He was greeted with cheers at his sold-out Wembley gig, and there are multiple comments in support of him on social media.
Here's a comprehensive timeline of all the allegations against Russell Brand:
1975: Russell Brand's birthplace and personal life
Russell Brand was born in Grays, Essex, in 1975. He was raised by his mother after his parents separated when he was six months old. Aged 16, he left home due to a troubled relationship with his mother's partner and began to take illegal drugs.
He attended Italia Conti Academy in 1991 but was expelled during his first year for illicit drug taking and poor attendance. He went to rehab in 2003 to recover from alcohol and drug addiction.
Brand has been married twice: first to Katy Perry, whom he married in October 2010 after meeting the previous year, and subsequently to Laura Brand, born Gallacher, a children's author. The couple have two daughters, born in 2016 and 2018 respectively, and the family live in Henley, Oxfordshire.
2000: Russell Brand's comedy and presenting career
Brand was first in the spotlight as a video journalist for MTV, presenting the Dancefloor Chart in 2000, before being fired the following year for coming into work dressed as Osama Bin Laden in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
After coming out of rehab in 2004, he went on to host Big Brother's spin-off show, Big Brother's Big Mouth, the same year, continuing in the role until 2007.
Brand presented a radio show, The Russell Brand Show, on the BBC between 2006 and 2008. He launched his late-night talk show, Brand X, in 2012.
Brand was on a tour of his latest live show, Bipolarisation, in September 2023 when the allegations broke. The final two remaining tour dates were postponed following the allegations.
2007: Russell Brand's acting career
After appearing in several episodes of The Bill as a teenager in 1994, Brand had his first film role in 2007 in St. Trinian's. He later appeared in the 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall alongside Kristen Bell.
Other notable film roles include 2010's Get Him To The Greek, alongside Jonah Hill; Arthur; and Rock of Ages. He also did some voice roles, including voicing Dr. Nefario in Despicable Me, and Creek in Trolls.
2008: BBC resignation
In 2008, Brand resigned from the BBC after a scandal over a phone call he made, together with Jonathan Ross, to actor Andrew Sachs, which Brand circulated on air to his BBC radio audience.
During the phone call, Ross announced to Sachs: “He [meaning Brand] f*cked your granddaughter”. Brand subsequently resigned from the BBC, after the BBC Trust deemed the calls a “deplorable intrusion with no editorial justification.” Brand apologised six years later, speaking to Kirsty Young on Desert Island Discs.
He said: "Listen, Kirsty, after the show there were two complaints. After it was in the Daily Mail there were subsequently 42,000 complaints."
Brand added: "I'm sure their offence was genuine - it was wrong, and I apologise for that - but how the information is presented is important."
The 48-year-old comedian turned wellness influencer says the encounters, which occurred at the height of his fame, were consensual.
2014: Brand starts YouTube channel
Brand has been broadcasting on YouTube since 2014, starting with his series, The Trews: True News with Russell Brand. His channel became increasingly prolific and engaged with right-wing politics during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing 14.5 million subscribers in March 2022.
Brand moved his channel to video broadcasting platform Rumble in September 2022, after YouTube took down one of his videos on the grounds of “medical misinformation”.
When a famous man is publicly disgraced, it's rarely long before the women in his life are dragged into it.
November 2023: Two more people come forward with workplace conduct allegations
In November 2023, the BBC announced that a total of five people had come forward with official complaints against Brand in relation to his workplace conduct during his time as a BBC host between 2006 and 2008. Two people came forward after the investigation by The Times was launched, while the other three had made complaints between the years 2006 and 2013.
The BBC explained that the two new allegations are in relation to his “workplace conduct” and are not of a “serious sexual nature”.
November 2024: Police ask prosecutors to consider bringing charges against Brand
Following the initial investigation by Channel 4's Dispatches and The Sunday Times, police announced that Russell Brand has been interviewed under caution three times in relation to alleged offences including rape, sexual assault, and emotional abuse.
On Saturday 2 November 2024, The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “A file of evidence has now been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service for their consideration."
Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, whose team is leading the investigation, said: "We have a team of dedicated officers providing specialist support to the women who have come forward. We are committed to investigating sexual offences, no matter how long ago they are alleged to have taken place."
Brand continues to deny the allegations. In an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson which was published on YouTube in January 2024, Brand said: “I'm aware that I put myself in an extremely vulnerable position by being very, very promiscuous, [but] that is not the type of conduct I endorse, and it's certainly not how I would live now.”
“Of course, I deny any allegations of the kind that have been advanced – and what I have seen is the significance of family and the importance of beliefs that are transcendent of this.”
January 2025: The BBC apologises to staff who ‘felt unable’ to report Brand
A review into the Brand's conduct while employed at the BBC finds that a number of staff members “felt unable to raise” concerns about his behaviour.
Peter Johnston, the BBC director of editorial complaints and reviews, investigated eight complaints about Brand, only one of which was formally made to the BBC at the time.
He said: “I am grateful to those who have come forward to talk to me and my team, and I have apologised on behalf of the BBC to those most directly affected by what I have documented here.
“The culture of the time undoubtedly influenced what was acceptable/tolerated, but I have found that a number of individuals had concerns about Russell Brand’s behaviour, which they felt unable to raise then.”
In response to the report, the BBC said: “The review considered eight complaints of misconduct about Russell Brand, only two of which were made while he was engaged by the BBC, one formally and one informally.
“It is of great concern that some of these individuals felt unable to raise concerns about Russell Brand’s behaviour at the time, and the BBC has apologised to them as part of this review.”
April 2025: Russell Brand is charged with rape and sexual assault
The Met Police confirm that Russell Brand, has been charged with rape, indecent assault and sexual assault.
May 2025: Russell Brand arrives in court to face charges of rape, sexual assalt, and indecent assault
Russell Brand arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London to face charges of rape, indecent assault, and sexual assault.
May 2025: Russell Brand pleads not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault
His trial is scheduled for June 2026.
This article will be kept updated.
For more information about reporting and recovering from rape and sexual abuse, you can contact Rape Crisis on 0808 500 2222.
If you have been sexually assaulted, you can find your nearest Sexual Assault Referral Centre here. You can also find support at your local GP, voluntary organisations such as Rape Crisis, Women's Aid, and Victim Support, and you can report it to the police (if you choose) here.
The resources and helplines you need to know.
