Russell Brand takes the stand at his rape and sexual assault trial

Actor and comedian Russell Brand took the stand in his trial on rape and sexual assault charges in London on Wednesday. 

Brand, 51, is accused of three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one charge of attempted indecent assault. 

The allegations, made by six female complainants, span a 10-year period between 1999 and 2009. Brand has pleaded not guilty to the charges. 

He started the morning by answering questions on whether he committed each respective charge with a terse “no.” Under cross-examination, he said he was innocent. 

“My entire life has been consumed by these allegations,” Brand said in his initial questioning. Under cross-examination, he said that while he believes he behaved promiscuously during the time period in question, he thinks that “consent is absolutely non-negotiable.” 

Brand calls consent “more important than sex itself”  

One woman alleged she met Brand at a Labour Party conference in 1999. She believed Brand was gay, and invited him to her hotel room to continue a conversation that began after a cabaret show where he performed. She alleged he came out of the bathroom topless before raping her. 

Brand said he remembers meeting the victim and chatting with her. When asked if he portrayed himself as gay, he said, “I don’t think so.” Brand said the victim was the one who suggested returning to her hotel room. 

Brand said he believes he would have checked in with the woman during the encounter, and denied raping her. He said he believes “consent is fundamental, essential, necessary, and in many ways, more important than sex itself.”

A woman who was working at MTV in 2001, where Brand was also employed, said she was showing him where the bathrooms were when he grabbed her hard by the forearm and said “come in, go on, come in.” Brand said he was only at those offices “between two and five times,” does not recall meeting the alleged victim, and does not recall taking her by the arm or attempting to engage in nonconsensual sexual activity. 

Another woman alleged Brand grabbed her breasts and orally raped her in a London bar in July 2004, allegations that Brand again denied. 

Brand initially told police in 2024 that he “had no memory of meeting” the victim, but he said on the stand that he revisited the alleged location and recalled an encounter. He also said that seeing a video interview between the victim and police helped him recall the encounter. When asked by prosecutors if he waited to give his account until he saw the video interviews from that alleged victim and others to “structure his case” around their comments, he said no. 

Brand answers questions about alleged apology  

Another victim alleged Brand anally raped her in 2009. She alleged the encounter left blood and feces on bed sheets, which Brand then forced her to clean. Prosecutors say the alleged victim had a threesome with Brand backstage at London’s Hammersmith Apollo Theatre before returning to his home for consensual sex. 

On the stand, Brand confirmed that he and the woman had anal sex, along with other forms of penetration, and recalled being “excited and enthusiastic” about the “kinky” experience. He said the woman had consented and agreed to the encounter. 

Brand said he had no indication that the woman was in pain, and she did not ask him to stop. He said he had a full-time housekeeper who would have cleaned the bed sheets. 

Brand said he does not recall texting the victim after the encounter, but she said that she sent Brand a message where she accused him of treating her “like an animal.” The woman alleged that Brand texted back “sorry.” On the stand, Brand said he did not recall the exchange, but said he would have been apologizing for the “expressed dissatisfaction.” 

Brand blames documentary for charges 

Under cross-examination, Brand blamed a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary program for the allegations against him. He said he believes the media have been unfair to him in the case, and said he was “innocent” of all allegations. 

Before the documentary was released, Brand posted a video online denying the allegations. In the video, he noted again that he had been promiscuous during the time period described, but his relationships were “absolutely, always consensual.” 

He suggested the reports were part of a coordinated attack because of his newfound prominence as an online wellness influencer and political commentator. The women featured in the documentary said they only felt ready to share their stories after being approached by reporters, with some mentioning Brand’s online fame as a factor in their decision to speak. 

After the allegations, Brand’s YouTube channel was demonitized. He was also dropped by his talent agency and had scheduled performances canceled.