Very rarely to public figures make a point of denying accusations against them before they’ve even been made public, but Russell Brand was clearly trying to get in front of something yesterday when he posted a video to social media and YouTube claiming that something big was about to happen.
Sure enough, a report from The Times has led to the comedian and actor facing allegations of rape, sexual assaults, and emotional abuse from four women, with the incidents in question said to have happened between 2006 and 2014.
One alleged victim offered that she was assaulted by Brand when she was just 16 years old, as part of a three-month relationship deemed to be both “emotionally and sexually abusive.” Despite the severity of the claims, there are a surprising amount of people trying to fight his corner and blame the mainstream media for creating a conspiracy, which he himself alluded to in the video in question while asking “is there another agenda at play?”
As part of his rant, Brand also said “during that time of promiscuity the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual I was always transparent about that then — almost too transparent — and I’m being transparent about it now as well.”
It’s easy to cry foul and blame malevolent powers-that-be working in the background to push one agenda to the forefront, but these are very serious crimes Brand has been accused of committing, and it remains to be seen whether or not the incoming Channel 4 expose will bring to light even more troubling behavior, which it’s become abundantly clear he will fight to deny at all costs to exonerate himself.
