What Has Russell Brand Been Accused Of? His Sexual Assault Accusations and Charges, Explained
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Russell Brand takes part in a discussion at Esquire Townhouse on October 14, 2017 in London, England.Credit : Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
Russell Brand is being charged with five counts of assault and rape charges stemming from allegations from four women.
The disgraced actor was first accused of sexual assault in September 2023 when five women spoke on their alleged experiences in a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 current affairs show Dispatches.
Following the publication of the piece, The Times reported that “several women” had approached the outlet with further allegations. The accusations prompted the Metropolitan Police to conduct an investigation into Brand, culminating in the actor being charged with one count of rape, one count of indecent assault, one count of oral rape and two counts of sexual assault on April 4.
Brand, who has said he “absolutely refutes” and denies the accusations, will appear in court on May 2.
Here’s everything to know about what Russell Brand has been accused of, and what’s next for the actor.
What has Russell Brand been accused of?
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Russell Brand leaves the Troubabour Wembley Park theatre after a comedy set on September 16, 2023 in London.James Manning/PA Images via Getty
In September 2023, The Times, The Sunday Times and Dispatches published and revealed an investigation in which five women — four of whom remained anonymous — including one 16-year-old accused the Forgetting Sarah Marshall actor of rape, sexual assault and physical and emotional abuse.
The outlets reported that the incidents allegedly transpired between 2006 and 2013. One of the women alleged that she was 16 at the time while Brand was 30. On their first date, she said he allegedly asked her age, saying, “I don’t give a f— if you’re 12 … I need to know where I stand legally.”
Another unidentified woman detailed how Brand orally raped her after his 31st birthday, claiming he “forced his penis down my throat,” per The Times.
“It was just choking me and I couldn’t breathe, and I was pushing him away and he wasn’t backing off at all,” the woman continued. “I ended up having to punch him really hard in the stomach to get him off. I was crying and he said, ‘Oh I only wanted to see your mascara run anyway.’ ”
Two other women detailed their own experiences with Brand, including a 2012 alleged rape incident and sexual assault in 2013. Previously, Brand was accused of sexual assault and physical and emotional abuse by his ex-girlfriend Jordan Martin, who did not speak in The Times investigation but did confirm that the incidents she claimed in her 2014 book, kNot: Entanglement with a Celebrity, were accurate.
Brand denied the allegations at the time.
What was Russell Brand charged with?
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Russell Brand signs copies of his new book “Recovery: Freedom From Our Addictions” at Barnes & Noble Union Square on October 3, 2017 in New York City.John Lamparski/Getty
Following an investigation conducted by detectives since allegations came to the surface in 2023, Brand was charged in April 2025 with one count of rape, one count of indecent assault, one count of oral rape and two counts of sexual assault.
Four separate women leveled the accusations against him, including one who alleged she was raped in a town in the south of England in 1999. Another woman alleged she was indecently assaulted in London in 2001, while a third woman claimed she was orally raped and sexually assaulted in London three years later. The fourth woman said she was sexually assaulted in London between 2004 and 2005.
“The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers,” Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said in a statement. “The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”
A legal representative for Brand did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
How has Russell Brand responded to the accusations?
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Russell Brand in his denial video on Instagram in September 2023.Russell Brand/YouTube
A day before The Times published its investigation, Brand posted a preemptive denial on Instagram, saying he “absolutely refutes” the allegations, which he described as “extremely egregious and aggressive attacks.”
“These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies,” he continued. “And as I’ve written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous. Now 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. And to see that transparency metastasized into something criminal, that I absolutely deny,” Brand added.
The actor said that he felt the investigation was a “coordinated attack” on his character and concluded his message by asking his followers to “stay close, stay awake, but more important than any of that, if you can, please stay free.”
After he was formally charged with rape and sexual assault, Brand posted another video on his Instagram thanking his fans for their messages of support.
“We’re very fortunate in a way to live in a time where there’s so little trust in the British government,” he said. “We’re very fortunate I suppose that this is happening at a time where we know the law has become a kind of weapon to be used against people, institutions and sometimes entire nations.”
Brand added that he’s “always told” his followers about his promiscuous past when he was “young and single.”
“I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord,” he continued. “I was a drug addict, sex addict and an imbecile but what I never was was a rapist. I’ve never engaged in nonconsensual activity, I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes.”
What is next for Russell Brand?
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Russell Brand attends the Fire And Ice Ball on December 14, 2019 in Birmingham, England.MelMedia/Getty
Following the 2023 accusations against him, three of Brand’s stand-up tour dates were postponed.
“We are postponing these few remaining addiction charity fundraiser shows, we don’t like doing it — but we know you’ll understand,” the tour’s promoters said in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Multiple brands and colleagues also parted ways with the comedian, including his literary agent Tavistock Wood and Trevi Women and Children’s Charity UK, who Brand worked with through his Stay Free Foundation.
Next, the actor will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on May 2.
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